Impress Me
by Stiles the Clever One
Summary: Zoe Stilinski thought it was a miracle when her best friend transferred to her high school, something to keep her sane in the wake of the supernatural. That thought fell flat when Scott bit him. Somehow, she has to keep herself grounded, keep Liam human, and help her friends save Beacon Hills and everyone in it. But with the deadpool, is that still possible?
1. Chapter 1

chapter one: reunited

* * *

When the boys exited the locker room, the three of us started toward the field. This was the first year that I had to hitch a ride with Stiles, and he had to be at morning practice for lacrosse, so I had to wake up at an obscenely early time for him to drive me. Otherwise, Dad would have had to drop me off in the squad car, and there was no way that was happening.

Lacrosse season had just begun, and so Scott was fretting all about whether he was still captain or not. There wasn't a reason why he shouldn't be, really, as he did exactly what Coach Finstock wanted.

"Of course you're still the team captain," Stiles said. "You got your grades up just like Coach told you to, right?"

Scott nodded, and I hung back a few steps, though I was still between them. Stiles's gym bag kept bumping my thigh. "Yeah," Scott said, "but he never told me I was back on the team. He just told me to show up at tryouts today."

"You were an awesome captain," I told him, nudging his arm. "Especially with the super senses, if you know what I mean." I winked, grinning.

Stiles groaned and shook his head. "Literally everyone knows what you mean, Zoe. And stop with the winking; it doesn't make anything funnier." While I pouted, Stiles sighed. "We got bigger things to deal with anyway. Did you tell Argent yet?"

I frowned. "You mean about Kate?" The boys nodded.

We stopped walking just before we hit the benches. "I texted him but he didn't get back to me," Scott informed us.

"You told him his sister Kate came back from the dead over a text?" my brother asked incredulously. I shrugged; it was an awkward way to get an important message to someone, but it wasn't easy to contact Chris Argent as of the moment.

"I didn't have the money to call France."

Stiles sighed, and I could almost sense this coming. "Yeah, you think you got money problems? Try paying for an MRI and a visit to Eichen House."

My brother was spot on with the money issues. Even though Dad was sheriff, that didn't give us much, and MRIs were more expensive than I first thought. The only good thing about the test and Eichen House was that at least Stiles didn't have frontotemporal dementia and wasn't losing his mind.

After the whole nogitsune ordeal, I was too emotionally overwhelmed by being around Stiles, so it had been settled that I would stay with Grandma Stilinski for while. Until I could stand to be around my brother, that is.

But I was better now, and so was Stiles.

"Another notice?" Scott asked, and I nodded. Dad had tried to hide the bills from us, maybe to not make Stiles feel bad, or whatever, but it hadn't worked.

"This one said, 'Final,'" I muttered.

"Now, what the hell are we even doing here anyway?" my brother asked, his voice rising slightly. I was glad for the change of topic. "We got like a hundred seventeen _million_ problems and worrying about our status on the lacrosse team is not one of them."

Scott looked over my brother's shoulder, his eyes widening. Before he even said anything, I spun on my heel to see Garrett and some random dude flinging balls at the goal.

"It is now," Scott said, and inclined his head. Stiles whipped around, and we both stared at the kid in the goal, who, mind you, was catching every single ball that was thrown at him with ease. It was nothing short of amazing. My mouth may have even dropped a little.

I frowned, my eyebrows knitting together. I faintly recognized the goalie, but with the helmet on, it was hard to be sure. It couldn't be... I mean, he messaged me that he had been expelled, but...

"Who the hell is that?" Stiles inquired, his eyes narrowing. Just then, the goalie pulled off his helmet, to reveal a very familiar face. My lips parted, and someone whistled as the kid smirked, walking up to Garrett, a freshman that I wasn't particularly fond of.

"Liam Dunbar," I said in astonishment, and Stiles rounded on me, but I wasn't paying attention yet. I was still taking in the boy I had last seen a couple weeks ago. He was even fitter, if that was possible. Same tousled hair.

"Nice, Liam," Garrett said, clapping him on the back. "You might just be our first ever freshman captain."

If I had been in my right mind, I would have launched myself at Liam the minute I saw him, but I was in shock, and Stiles stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the boys.

"How do you know that kid?" he demanded, and I sighed. What a protective older brother. "He's new, right? You shouldn't know him. How do you know him?"

I could tell Scott was curious as well, though he didn't show it in the ways that Stiles did. "Remember when I went to stay with Grandma?" I asked, and Stiles's face crumpled for a few seconds before he nodded. "Liam lived nearby, and we became like, best friends? I mean, he told me that he was moving and all, but I didn't figure he was coming to Beacon Hills High..."

"Wait, you text him?" Stiles shook his head slightly, as if the idea was ridiculous, and his hands twitched, like he wanted to rip my phone from my pocket. Luckily, he did no such thing, and I nodded.

"Is that where you go on the weekends sometimes?" Scott asked, and I nodded again.

Stiles sort of deflated. "I thought you just went to visit Grammy... Okay, maybe we should just practice a little bit," he relented, and the two of them bounded off for the field while I took a seat on the first row of bleachers.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, I was itching to get Liam's attention, but he was playing hard - and really good - and I didn't want to interrupt. So I instead just watched the boys toss the balls around a bit, knocking lacrosse sticks and what not.

I got to my feet as soon as Coach blew the whistle to end morning practice, and rather than go with Scott and Stiles - who were already heading to the locker room - I rocked back and forth on my heels until Liam had packed up his gear and was readying to get back to the school. Garrett went ahead of him, and I jumped up behind Liam, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, stranger," I said, and he turned around and grinning upon realizing it was me. Liam immediately dropped his lacrosse stuff and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms wound around my waist, and he lifted me slightly off the ground, squeezing me tight.

"I was wondering where you were," he admitted, his eyes squeezed shut. "You told me your brother was on the team, so I figured you'd be here, but I didn't see you..."

When he let me down, I smiled up at him. Liam wasn't tall, but he was taller than me. "You were playing so well, I didn't want to interrupt."

He smirked. "You can interrupt me any time, Zoe." Looping an arm around my shoulders, Liam hiked up his duffel with his free hand, and I grabbed his lacrosse stick. The pair of us started back to the school, just enjoying each other's company.

We promised to meet up for first period, and after comparing our schedules and finding out that we had basically all the same classes, split up so Liam could change in the locker room and I could go to biology.

I snagged a table in the back of the room, making sure to reserve the spot next to me for Liam. Students slowly filtered into the room, and I propped my chin on my fist, a smile creeping onto my lips against my will.

I had missed Liam a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. Dad was all right with me going back to Grammy's every weekend for the last month, though I mostly went to see Liam. The boy was the same as I had left him. Tiffany Blue eyes that could give anyone a run for their money, the smirk that sent chills down my spine...

Liam rapped his knuckles on my desk, drawing my attention, and I looked up with a smile. He was frowning, and slouched onto the stool, dropping his backpack carelessly. The lacrosse stick was protruding from one of the pouches.

"Hey," I said, smacking his arm lightly. "Everything okay?" He nodded on instinct, and then met my eyes.

"Your brother and Scott McCall just asked me some weird questions," he confessed, and I groaned inwardly. What had the two idiots done now? Seeing my raised eyebrows, Liam continued. "They were talking about a circus act or something, and wanted to know if I had ever been in the woods during a full moon...?"

I resisted the urge to face palm. Clearly, the boys couldn't keep anything secret. At least, my brother couldn't. Scott was usually better at the secrecy business. But Stiles...

Well, Stiles was an idiot.

Liam shook his head slightly, and class started, so Liam's voice lowered considerably. He leaned in, and I did the same. "Zoe, they know I was kicked out of Devenford."

My face must have written me off as confused. And I was, for a moment. Until I realized that Scott must have heard Liam's heartbeat or whatever. That ability of his was certainly inconvenient if you were lying. It had even gotten me in trouble a couple times. Mostly, I think Scott thought it was amusing.

My pocket vibrated, and pulling out my phone discreetly, I looked over the text from Stiles.

_"Did you know that Liam was expelled from his old school?"_

I sighed and tapped out a quick reply.

_"Yes, I did. I can't believe you and Scott interrogated him! Not everyone is a werewolf, you know. Maybe he's just that good."_

Liam was busy taking notes, so he wasn't aware at all of the vaguely argumentative conversation I was having with my brother. Honestly, I didn't understand why they had to make a big deal about Liam's lacrosse abilities. I mean, wasn't Jackson great at lacrosse, too? And no one suspected him.

_"He said the same thing. I don't like it."_

I scowled at Stiles's contact name and smashed out a response, but not before I stole a glance at my best friend.

_"The best part, dear brother, is that you don't have to like it."_

He didn't reply.

Liam and I pretty much spent the rest of the day together, though I ate lunch with my brother and his friends. I noticed that Liam found a boy named Mason that had been in a couple of our classes and sat with him. Stiles had been preoccupied with glaring at Liam between eating.

In the middle of the day, however, I got a text from Dad, saying something about a triple homicide developing. Stiles managed to find me and I walked with him, Scott, and Kira down the hall.

"An axe murderer?" Kira inquired, and I sighed. Was I the only one that wanted to be done with all this supernatural business? Sometimes I just wanted to live a normal life, with normal friends, with a normal freshmen year - the only excitement being the upcoming dance.

My brother shattered that brief thought with his next statement. "A family murdering axe murderer," he said.

"I already heard about it," Scott sighed, and he popped open his locker.

"Wait. What? You did? How?"

Scott glanced at Stiles as he pulled out his economics textbook. "My mom called me. She knew we'd see it on the news." Yeah, working at the hospital was either a blessing or a curse. Which, I wasn't sure yet.

My brother clapped his hands together. "Perfect. Let's go."

I frowned. "Go where?" I asked. "School's still going on." Not that that had ever stopped us before, but...

Scott nodded. "Yeah, and we've got Econ in five minutes."

Stiles gave the two of us a serious look. "All right. Did you forget the part about the family murdering axe murderer?"

"No, but Dad's the sheriff," I said. "He can handle it, Stiles. Not everything is our responsibility, you know. Sometimes we can take a break from saving people and stuff."

My brother looked like he was just absolutely exasperated with me, and glanced at Scott. "And you?"

Scott shrugged. "They want us to stay out of it." Well, at least I wasn't alone in the longing for a normal existence. Scott, thankfully, wasn't as eager as Stiles to ditch school, which I was grateful for because, in the end, if they went, I would have to go with them.

"Are you guys kidding me? There's a family murdering axe murderer and we're not going to do anything about it?" I was surprised that after the nogitsune thing, that Stiles didn't want to sit out of supernatural drama for the rest of his life. If it had been me...

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Liam leaning against a row of lockers on the opposite wall. He seemed to be waiting for me, and I smiled.

Kira, ever the optimistic one, smiled. "Maybe we should just let the adults handle it." If the werewolf and the kitsune weren't down for murderer hunting, then I figured that pretty much settled it.

"So the three of you, you just want to stay here, school, go to class..." Stiles paused, and his gaze landed on me. "Even my own flesh and blood." He shook his head. "Never heard anything so irresponsible in my life." And with that, he stalked off, though we all knew he'd still be at tryouts.

I let out a breath and took a step backward. "Well, this has been fun, but someone's waiting for me," I said, and Scott finally noticed Liam. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. He wanted me to be careful.

* * *

** So, yes, this is something I'm starting. Ever since Muted, I've fallen in love with Liam Dunbar (a.k.a. Dylan Sprayberry.) Uhh, lemme know what you think. I want to hear your opinions. Am I doing Liam okay? How do you feel about Zoe knowing him beforehand? Is there anything you'd like to see? Drop a review and let me know! **

**8.3.2014**


	2. Chapter 2

chapter two: do-over

* * *

At the end of the day in English, which Liam and I also had together, he leaned over to my desk. We were supposed to have quiet reading time, but most of the class was whispering to their friends or texting. As soon as Liam's whisper broke the near-silence of the room, I glanced up at the teacher's desk, almost expecting Jennifer Blake to be sitting there, but of course, she wasn't.

The darach had been finished off by Deucalion the same night that Scott became a True Alpha.

"You're going to be at tryouts, right, Zoe?" Liam asked, and I nodded, setting my paperback on its side, seeing that the conversation wasn't going to end there. Liam wasn't a super big reader; he didn't have the patience.

"I have to make sure you're still as good as you were at Devenford. Make sure that you haven't been slacking," I said, grinning to show Liam that I was joking. I knew that now Devenford Prep was a sensitive subject. He didn't like to talk about why he got expelled, even to me. It wasn't one of the finer moments of his life, but he paid for the damages.

Liam smirked. "Of course I am. Better, probably." I liked Liam's confidence. It was borderline arrogant, sure, but he had the talent to prove it, and he worked hard at what he accomplished.

"Don't get cocky on me now, Liam," I tsked, even though I knew he would impress me anyway. He liked to impress me.

The bell rang, and students shot of of the classroom, while Liam and I were slower in gathering our things. After all, we weren't leaving school for a while.

"Guess I'll just have to prove it," he said, grinning, and sauntered to the locker room. I shook my head at his retreating figure, an amused grin plastered on my face. His arrogance was going to get the better of him someday, I was sure of it.

Ten minutes later would find me sitting on the bleachers, sandwiched between Kira and Malia. The latter was loosely holding a calc book while Kira clutched a spare lacrosse stick.

I watched the boys run the mile, and by the end, Stiles was probably actually dying. He was very near to crawling, I could tell, and looked like he was going to empty his stomach any time now. Endurance running was never my brother's strong suit. Running in general wasn't his forte, either.

Liam, however, came in first, and made direct eye contact with me, smirking, before he went right into push-ups. I laughed to myself, shaking my head when Malia sent me a questioning look.

As the boys started to form a line before the goal, Malia turned away from her math and to Kira, who was staring at Scott nervously. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. Malia, girl with no tact whatsoever. I guess eight years living in the preserve can do that to a person.

Kira looked startled at having been caught angsting. "Me? Nothing."

Malia deadpanned. "You reek of anxiety. And it's distracting. What's going on?" I happened to glance down at her worksheet, and noticed that everything was highlighted in red. I couldn't help the sigh that escaped my lips.

"Scott and I sort of had this thing happen," Kira sort of explained. "But it wasn't much of a thing. And I'm starting to think it never was anything at all." She appeared forlorn at this thought, and I wanted to offer my opinion, but didn't want to bring up Allison. It hurt too much.

Malia inclined her head. "What do you want it to be?"

The kitsune sighed, and dropped her chin on the lacrosse stick, her gaze turning back to the field. "More."

My brother, after struggling momentarily with picking up a ball, reeled back to throw it into the goal. I bit my lip in anticipation, still rooting for him to be first line. Even if he was God-awful.

The goalie caught the ball my brother shot at him, and chuckles chorused throughout the players. I leaned back and sighed again, completely used to it.

Liam was next, and he scooped up a ball. He smiled to himself before stepping forward, his arm arcing in the air as flung the ball toward the goal. The goalie just wasn't fast enough, and Liam's ball smacked the net.

While Coach cheered, I stood and clapped. Liam beamed at me, and I grinned in return while ignoring Stiles's dirty look.

Scott performed the same arc as Liam, and missed. The ball bounced off one of the posts with a _clink._ Scott's features downturned, and I realized he wasn't doing this on purpose. He was actually confused that he didn't put the ball in the goal.

Liam scored every shot he made, while my brother and Scott consistently missed. I groaned when one of Scott's balls flew over the net, and sank into the bleachers. My brother sucking, I was used to, but Scott? He was a werewolf, he was a True Alpha, he was better than the best. So what was going on?

After Liam bagged another shot, I sighed, watching Scott and Stiles convene away from the rest of the players to discuss something. I guess I could see why they were suspicious of Liam, but I've seen him play before. I've seen his stepdad play. And they were _good_. Why did they have to be werewolves to be awesome at lacrosse?

"Isn't the captain supposed to be one of the best players on the team?" Kira asked, deflating. Malia glanced up from her math and Kira sighed. "Or good?" Neither of us answered her.

Liam met the high-fives of the other guys as he scored again, and then motioned for me to come onto the field. I spared Kira and Malia a smile and jogged up to my best friend, beaming at him as he grinned down at me.

"You're magnificent, Liam," I said, and I tried not to notice the perspiration on his forehead, flushing his cheeks and making his eyes glitter.

The smirk returned, his head dropped to look at our feet. When he looked up, his bottom lip was caught between his teeth, and my breath hitched in my throat.

"Maybe after tryouts, we could go somewhere," he suggested, and I nodded, smiling. "I mean, you might have to show me around a bit..."

I laughed. "Definitely. I know this place that has the best curly fries."

"Cool," he said, and I could _feel_ my brother's evil eye. It was burning a hole in my back, and I tossed a look his way just long enough to catch Scott's glowing red eyes. Mine narrowed.

"Well, I'll be waiting on the benches," I promised, and turned on my heel to walk back to a curious Kira and Malia.

"Zoe, who's that?" Kira asked as soon as I sat down, and I followed her gaze to where Liam was falling in with the rest of the guys once Coach Finstock blew his whistle. At the distance, I couldn't hear what was being said.

I shrugged. "My best friend Liam." At Malia's raised eyebrows, I added, "Remember when I left after what happened to Stiles?" They nodded. "That's when I met Liam. We stayed in contact, but I didn't know he was transferring to our school."

Malia sniffed. I nearly sighed. "He didn't transfer."

Shaking my head, I said, "It doesn't matter. But Scott and my brother have been giving him a hard time. They think he's a werewolf or something."

"Just because he hasn't missed a shot?" Malia asked.

"Right. But if that's true, then Scott should be doing fantastic."

The girls nodded and Scott and Stiles geared up with the long sticks. Garrett tried to weave around them, but Scott leapt up and knocked Garrett's stick out of his hand. I offered a couple whoops. Was Scott finally back on his game?

The boys took down two more players. They were killing it. Kira wasn't cheering as loud as I was, but I knew that Scott could still hear us both.

Liam was up now, though. His stance was wide, and he held himself confidently. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew how to do it. Liam swept the ball into the pouch of his stick and started at a light jog toward the boys. He swung his stick over Stiles's head, and ducked under Scott's arm, spinning and hurling the ball at the goal. It went right past the goalie.

I stood and clapped furiously. Liam sent a grin my way. He went to the back of the line, smirking when Stiles and Scott glared at him.

"Hey, sis!" Stiles shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "You're not supposed to cheer for the enemy! I thought I was your brother!" I smiled, and Malia frowned next to me. Before I could say anything in response, Malia shoved her calculus book into my arms and stood.

"That was luck!" she yelled. "Do-over!" I tugged on her cardigan, begging her to sit down. Liam was looking our way. He seemed amused.

Coach chuckled. "Sweetheart, there's no do-overs. This is a practice."

Malia must have taken this as a challenge, because her frown deepened, and she straightened. "Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles."

I sighed when Coach agreed to the bet. Of course he would. "Hey! Get back in there, Liam." My best friend pushed to the front of the line and twisted his stick. I didn't know why Malia wanted them to do it again. Liam would just do the same thing he did before and Scott and Stiles would let him past.

I wish I had been right. Instead, Liam faked out Stiles, and Scott barreled into him, sending the kid over his shoulder. Liam landed on the ground with a solid _crunch._

There were a few seconds of silence, in which I struggled to catch up to what had just happened. Liam's pained cry and Coach Finstock's yelling was what brought me back to the real world. "Don't move! Don't touch him!" He sprinted onto the field and I was right behind him.

Liam rolled onto his stomach, grunting and groaning. "I'm okay, Coach," Liam panted, but the strain in his voice gave him away. "I'm all right." As he put weight on his foot, he cried out, and Scott and my brother caught him under the arms. "I think it's my leg."

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I grabbed Liam's stuff as the boys hauled him to the nurse, though we all knew we'd be making a trip to the hospital soon.

* * *

My brother and I hauled Liam to the Jeep while Scott talked to Kira. We hadn't stayed long in the nurses's office. She told us that it might either be a sprain or a break. Either way, Liam was screwed. And he hadn't spoken a word since.

We helped Liam into the passenger seat while I climbed into the back. Scott met up with us at the hospital on his dirt bike. They took over assisting Liam in moving while I trailed behind guiltily. Poor Liam.

I signed us in, and the woman at the front desk smiled at me. "We think it's broken," I said under my breath, my eyes flicking to a distraught Liam.

She nodded, scribbling on papers, and Scott sighed. Melissa McCall had walked into view, and didn't seem at all startled to see us. We had been to the hospital so much in the last year, that she should have expected us sooner or later. I was just hoping it would be later.

"Hi, Mom," Scott said sheepishly. Stiles and I mirrored a wave.

Minutes later, Liam was lowering himself into a wheelchair, and concern was written all over Mrs. McCall's face. "Don't worry, Liam. We'll take good care of you," she promised, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Can Zoe come with me?" he asked, his eyes pleading. Everyone seemed shocked, and my brother's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Scott's mom exchanged a look with the boys and her brows raised at me. "I guess she can..." Her voice was hesitant, and I tried to give her a reassuring smile as we started down the hallway. Liam's thumb brushed over my knuckles and his grip tightened, like he thought he might lose me if he let go.

"Zoe!" Stiles shouted, and I glanced over my shoulder. He looked slightly annoyed, but I didn't care. It was his and Scott's fault that they were there. "We got to get going. I promised Malia I'd help her study."

I rolled my eyes. "Can I have a few minutes?" I wanted to make sure Liam was okay before I cared about my brother missing his study date.

"You get five!" he called back. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'm leaving without you!" I huffed and squeezed Liam's hand. He smiled up at me gratefully. Mrs. McCall did not miss the exchange.

* * *

**I'm having a fun time writing this. So far, it's just been cursory stuff. You know, introductions, reunions, what not. But now we'll be getting into the juicy stuff. The meat of the story. Okay, I'm sorry, that sounded really gross. Pretend I didn't say that. Tell what you think! Drop a review and let me know! I love feedback. (But you don't have to be rude! - just a reminder.) **

**8.5.2014**


	3. Chapter 3

chapter three: faking

* * *

Scott's mom and I helped Liam onto a hospital bed and she paged the doctor. "Zoe," she said, her voice slightly higher, "can I talk to you privately for a minute?" I nodded, already knowing what was coming, but I let her pull me out of the room, away from Liam's curious eyes.

Mrs. McCall folded her arms, an amused smile on her lips. "What was that all about?" And before I could give a dumb response, the woman shook her head. "How do you know Liam? And happened to him?"

So I told her about going to Grandma Stilinski's and meeting Liam. Also, despite Scott maybe wanting me to withheld the information about him injuring Liam, I told his mom about it anyway. She would probably find out eventually, even if I hadn't said a word.

"Do you like him?" she asked, and I had to be honest. I hadn't seen this part of the conversation occurring. I underestimated Melissa McCall too much.

I shook my head. "We're best friends, Mrs. McCall."

She gave me a knowing look, and I could feel my cheeks burning. There was something promiscuous about the glint in her eyes. "That doesn't mean there can't be something more, Zoe."

I met her gaze. "That doesn't mean there is, either."

She just smiled and left. I sighed, going back into the room to find Liam staring at his bruising ankle. "Does it hurt a lot?" I asked.

He glanced at me, and hesitated before shaking his head. I smiled weakly, taking the chair beside his bed. It was uncomfortable, and I leaned forward, gripping his hand. "You can't hide anything from me, Liam Dunbar," I said, and he chuckled.

"Thanks for coming here with me." His tone was low, almost quiet, and he pulled our hands into his lap.

"You're my best friend, Liam," I said, brushing my fingers across his jaw. His eyes found mine, and I briefly thought about how the Tiffany Blue probably clashed horribly with my amber. "I would do anything for you."

He didn't say anything, but he didn't look away, either. I smiled, and the corners of his lips turned up.

"Zoe Stilinski, is that you?" asked a voice, and Liam and I both jumped. I turned to see Liam's stepfather standing at the threshold of the door, donning a white lab coat. A stethoscope hung around his neck, and he held a clipboard. "I was wondering when we'd see you again, though I figured it was a matter of time before Liam found you in that school."

I grinned and stood, shaking the man's hand with the one that wasn't holding Liam's. After greetings were over, I sat back down and Dr. Geyer set down his clipboard. Liam hadn't told me that his stepdad was going to be working at the hospital, but with him being a doctor, I should have assumed.

Dr. Geyer put a hand down on Liam's left knee, and the other hovered above his swollen ankle. He glanced at me. "Zoe, is it okay if Liam squeezes your hand when I test his ankle?" I nodded, and Dr. Geyer pressed down on Liam's ankle. Liam hissed, his grip tightening on my hand, and I winced. Liam was definitely strong, and he certainly could have broken my fingers.

The doctor sighed, releasing the pressure, and I let out a breath as Liam grasp softened considerably. "It's broken, isn't it?" He sounded so dejected that I just wanted to give him a hug.

"It's definitely going to need an X-ray," his stepdad said. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, but ignored it.

"It's broken," Liam repeated. "And it's my fault."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, Liam. Lacrosse is a rough game, and..." I didn't want to blame Scott. I couldn't put fault on him for wanting something like being team captain for himself. Being an Alpha was hard work.

Liam seemed to understand this, so he continued where I left off. "I went up against two juniors. One of them is captain of the team," he said.

Dr. Geyer put a hand on Liam's shoulder. "Remember what we always say? Play smart, not hard." Liam nodded and his thumb swept over my knuckles, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.

"Are you mad at me?" Liam asked, and there where tears in his eyes when he looked up at his stepfather.

"No, of course not," Dr. Geyer said, and I pulled out my phone as it buzzed again. It was a message from Stiles, go figure.

_"Get your ass in gear, Zoe!"_

I stood, glancing apologetically at Liam. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go now, or my brother's going to kill me. Text or call me, okay, Liam?" He nodded, and I slipped my hand from his grasp.

"Come over for dinner soon, Zoe. Liam's mother would love to see you again," Dr. Geyer added, and I smiled.

"Of course, sir," I said. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

One last look at Liam, and I left the room, nearly running into Scott, who had been standing just outside the door. By the look on his face I could tell he had already heard everything, and I just nodded before walking past him and back to the waiting room, where Stiles was pacing anxiously.

"There you are, Zoe! I gave you plenty of time to say goodbye to your little boyfriend, now let's _go_." Stiles ushered me out the hospital doors and pushed me into the Jeep.

It was already dark outside, and I realized how important it was that we get this conversation over with before we picked up Malia. With the heightened senses, she would pick up anything, and she wouldn't understand... She wouldn't get how I felt about Liam.

"He's not my boyfriend, Stiles," I sighed. "I've told you this already. He's my best friend."

My brother snorted. "Yeah, you two sure looked real friendly when you were holding hands. And when you were hanging out on the field? You were totally flirting! And don't think Scott didn't mention that Liam was waiting for you after we talked about the triple homicide."

I rolled my eyes. Goddammit, Scott. Couldn't keep anything a secret around here. "Yeah, well, that happens to be what best friends do. Don't you and Scott wait for each other after classes? You two hang out on the field, too."

He narrowed his eyes at me, and we turned on the street Malia lived on. "We're both on the team, Zoe!"

"So?" I squeaked, folding my arms. "He was there for me when you..." In an instant, Stiles's face fell, and I felt my insides shrivel up. Blaming my brother wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault what the nogitsune did.

We were both silent as the Jeep rolled into Malia's driveway. She bounded out of the house, bag in tow, and I hopped into the back. Malia took a cursory sniff, and shot us both peculiar looks. Thankfully, she didn't say anything, because I think I would have wanted to crawl in a hole and die more than I already did.

As soon as Stiles pulled up to our house, the three of us clambered out of the Jeep and went inside. Stiles and Malia departed to his room, and I went to mine, which was separated by a bathroom. Thank the heavens, because my sweet ears did not need to hear what went on in there.

* * *

I had nearly fallen asleep when Stiles hurtled into my bedroom. "We gotta go, Zoe, so get up," he ordered, and I rubbed my eyes, blinking experimentally.

"What's going on?" I asked, standing. My face had previously been glued to an English assignment that the directions had been too scrambled for me to accomplish.

"I just talked to Scott, and he said something about Liam, and then Dad called - " His arms flailed, and I suddenly became more alert.

"What happened to Liam?" I inquired, following him out the door. Malia had vacated the premises, and as we passed the mantle clock in the living room, sighed upon realizing that it was past midnight.

Stiles climbed into the Jeep, and I did the same. "I don't know. His voice was all muffled and he was doing that stammering thing when he's being vague."

I bit my lip, and we sped to the McCall house. I didn't forget the detail that Stiles had talked to Dad. Scott had still been at the hospital when we left. And so had Liam... I could only hope he was all right.

The two of us jumped out of the vehicle and met Scott at the front door. "Did you tell him about Liam?" was what Scott said instead of hello.

"You barely told me about Liam," my brother said. I tried to keep up with them as they weaved through the family room, but they both had much longer legs than myself. "What did you do with him anyway?"

I stopped. "'Do with him?'" I repeated, and the boys turned to face me. "What do you mean?" And then I scowled at Stiles. "I'm beginning to think you left a few things out, brother." He smiled sheepishly and Scott sighed, glancing up at the ceiling.

"He's upstairs," he said, and Stiles frowned.

"Doing what?"

Scott paused for a moment before pursing his lips. "Lying down."

My brother and I looked at him suspiciously before tromping up the stairs after him. I couldn't help but grumble to myself about rotten siblings and shifty werewolves.

Scott led us to the bathroom attached to his bedroom, where the shower curtain was drawn. I could heard faint noises coming from behind it, and my mouth dropped. "You're kidding!" I shrieked before diving forward and yanking the curtain aside to see a head-to-toe duct-taped Liam sitting in the bathtub.

He met my eyes and was already panting heavily, but added incoherent grunting to that as well. "Oh, my God," I mumbled. As I crouched down to rip the tape off, I only managed to tear one strip before Stiles wrenched me backward and I went limp as I caught sight of blood on Liam's forearm. Scott closed the curtain, and I was dragged back to his bedroom.

"What are you doing?!" I spluttered, hitting my brother until he released me. He and Scott sat on the edge of the bed, and I made to go into the bathroom again, but Scott, with heightened reflexes and strength, caught me around the waist and pulled me to sit in between them. "We have to let him go!"

Stiles ignored me, and sighed. "So you bit him." Scott nodded. "And you kidnapped him." Another nod. "And you brought him here."

"I panicked," Scott said, as if that was an explanation.

"Clearly!" I snapped, sending a glance at the closed curtains. Of course I hadn't told him anything about my brother's best friend being a werewolf. The whole point of me staying with Grammy was to get _away _from it.

Stiles scrubbed a hand over his face. "This isn't going to end with us burying the pieces of his body out in the desert, is it?"

My jaw went slack. "No!" I exclaimed at the same time as Liam's muffled protests came from the open bathroom door. Before I could even try making a break for it, Stiles and Scott each grabbed one of my arms.

"As a reminder, this is why I always come up with the plans. Your plans suck," Stiles said, and I snorted.

"I know. Which is why I called you. So, what do we do?" Scott asked, and we loosely decided to bring Liam into the bedroom, sitting him on a chair and explaining what happened. I say loosely, because I wanted to let him go, but my idea was shot down immediately.

Liam grunted and I widened my eyes at Stiles. He rubbed the back of his neck, and I felt tears well up in my eyes at the way Liam was looking at us. His biceps flexed against his restraints and his breathing was heavy.

He was furious.

Stiles stepped forward, and I leaned on the door frame, not wanting to be any part of this. It was one thing when it was someone we didn't know, but Liam? He had been the main support in my life after the nogitsune ordeal. He may not be the best person in the world, but he didn't deserve this.

"Liam," Stiles said, "we're going to take the tape off your mouth. If you scream, it goes right back on. If you talk quietly, it stays off. Got it?" Liam nodded, inhaling through his nose. "Okay."

I winced as Stiles ripped the tape off. Liam made an awful noise, and I wanted the floor to swallow me up.

Stiles sighed. "Okay, Liam, now you've seen a lot of confusing things tonight. And more confusing things are going to happen because of the confusing things that happened tonight. Do you understand?"

There were a few seconds before Liam muttered, "Not really."

"Good. That's good."

Scott frowned. "I don't understand either."

My brother took this in stride. "Maybe you should tell him."

"Tell me what?" Liam sounded frustrated. He sounded angry. But I couldn't bear to make eye contact with him. I didn't want to see those Tiffany Blue eyes alight with anger. I didn't want to see that anger directed at me.

"Liam..." Scott started, "what happened to you, what I did to you - which I had to do in order to save you - it's going to change you."

"Unless it kills you," Stiles interjected. Almost as an afterthought, added, "Shouldn't have said that."

Liam looked up at them. "What?" he breathed. And then his head turned down, and something like sobs escaped his lips. My head tilted toward the boys. I couldn't see Liam - Scott and Stiles were blocking my view - but I could tell he wasn't really crying. I had seen Liam cry before, and this was not that.

"Uh..." Stiles floundered, "uh-oh. Oh - oh. Is he... Is he crying?"

Which made me realize...

Scott crouched. "Liam, it's okay. You're going to be all right." The whimpers continued. "You're not going to die."

Liam was faking.

"Probably not," my brother said, kneeling.

"Stop it."

"Okay, possibly not."

And neither of them knew.

"Would you just help me untie him?" Scott asked, and the boys ripped the tape off my best friend. Well, maybe ex-best friend now. "Liam? Are you okay?" Liam slowly stood, his head down, and turned around, his hands going for the chair.

I watched curiously as my brother apologized and Liam gripped the back of the chair. Liam had a plan, but what?

As soon as that thought went through my mind, Liam swung the chair around, and it smashed against Scott, sending him tumbling to the ground, and Stiles staggering backward.

I unfolded my arms, eyes wide, and realized that I was still standing in the doorway. Liam's only exit. He cut off my brother's exclamation with a solid punch to the face, and Stiles fell into Scott's dresser, moaning.

Liam's eyes met mine. I couldn't see his very well in the lamp light, but as he came at me, I couldn't say I wasn't scared.

I had seen Liam angry before. And it was not a pretty sight.

He jumped over Scott's groaning body, whipping past me, knocking me off my feet. I fell on my ass, and Liam skidded down the hallway in his socks.

Well, his ankle was fine.

The boys stumbled out of the room, grumbling and whining. Stiles held his cheek, and I pushed myself out of their way.

"Ah," Stiles exhaled, and Liam spun around. "Get him!" And the boys charged at Liam, screaming. The three of them went tumbling down the staircase, and I scrambled to my feet, taking the stairs two at a time.

I arrived just in time to see Liam crawling over Scott and Stiles to the door. It swung open and I lunged for him, but there was no way I was any faster than he was. Especially now that he had been bitten.

Behind me, I heard my brother yelling. "Leg! I got him! I got him! I got him, I got him!" When it was just Scott's foot.

"Liam, wait!" I called, watching his figure disappear in the darkness as as ran as fast as his legs would take him. "Liam!" I had no plan to go after him. I had no plan at all. "Liam, I'm sorry!"

Scott grunted. "Your plan sucked, too."

* * *

**Ahh, chapter three! I'm really liking Zoe so far. Is that self-absorbed of me? I don't know. I like the way the story's going. We're at that part where Liam may not be too happy with Zoe at the moment. Though, they are best friends, so will he forgive her? Drop a review and lemme know what you think! Also, I want to make it clear (if I haven't already) that Zoe hasn't told Liam anything about anything. So he doesn't know why Zoe had to live with her grandmother away from her immediate family, other than some BS story that's probably something like "I just needed a break." Ya feel? Oh, heads up - I might not be able to post or write during the weekend, as I'm helping my sister move into her new apartment. Toodles!**

**8.7.2014**


	4. Chapter 4

chapter four: hook, line, and sinker

* * *

The next morning, I discovered a couple things. One, my father thought that Stiles and Malia did kinky stuff with handcuffs. Two, the math notes that Lydia had lent Malia were not actually math notes, but a possible code. As I sat in biology, waiting for the text from Stiles, she was supposed to be figuring it out.

In addition, the full moon was tonight, and we were going to Lydia's lake house. Which meant that we had to bring Liam with us. Which is what Scott and my brother were working on.

They had loosely planned to corner him and try and explain, again, what was happening to the kid. I could see this plan going south from miles away, so I opted out. Stiles had told me to be a team player, but I aptly refused. I had probably already botched my friendship with Liam last night. Didn't need to add more fuel to the fire.

Liam slid into class just before the bell rang, and groaned softly when he realized that the only open seat was next to me. I tried not to cry. There was a sheen a sweat coating his forehead, and my eyes widened when I saw the arm that Scott had bitten. That was just it.

There was no bite.

I looked up at Liam's face in shock. He was angry already, I could tell. He was trying to control his breathing, and his hands were clenched into fists.

Liam was going to shift tonight.

"What?" he hissed at me, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. He had never spoken to me like that. Or, if he had, it hadn't been directed at me. He had never been truly angry at me.

"Your arm." I couldn't help myself. I figured that Scott's plan hadn't worked out - that must be why Liam was upset.

Liam sneered. "Don't tell me you're going to try to convince me something's happening. I'm fine." He leaned closer, but this time, it wasn't to confide in me. I hated the change. "_Nothing _is wrong with me."

I frowned. "But Liam - "

"Nothing!" he insisted, and I didn't push the subject. Clearly, the boys had pissed him off. Before, I had always been able to calm him down. Now? I would be lucky if he let me touch him.

Class ended, and Liam shot out of the room. I worried my bottom lip and opened a text from my brother.

_"We're at the buses."_

Passing period would find me between the buses with the whole pack. We were discussing where we were going to keep Liam for the full moon.

"I'm not sharing my basement," Malia stated firmly.

Lydia simpered. "Actually, it's my basement. And my mom noticed how you tore it up last time."

Stile sighed. "All right, she's still learning."

I sighed next. "What about the boathouse?" I had been to the lake house a couple times on the full moon for Malia, and had taken to the boathouse when the screams got too loud. I didn't like hearing Malia's threats.

Scott nodded. "It's got support beams. We can chain him to one of them."

And Kira raised the obvious question. "But how do we get him out to the lake house if he doesn't trust us?"

"I say if it keeps him from murdering someone, we chloroform the little bastard and throw him in the lake," Stiles said, and despite Liam wanting nothing to do with me, I still wanted him safe, so I shot my brother a glare.

Malia raised a hand. "I'm in."

"We're not killing or kidnapping him," Scott recited. Because the latter had already been done.

"Then let's be smarter," Lydia said, as if it were a blatant fact. "We tell him there's a party and invite him." I nodded vaguely. I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation, but it was kind of expected that I be there.

Stiles's brows raised dubiously. "So, you're going to ask out a freshman?"

Lydia shook her head. "No, I'm done with teenage boys. A freshman asks out a freshman." They all looked at me, and Stiles's mouth gaped, mirroring myself.

"Her?" he asked, the same time I went, "Me?"

"Not my baby sister," Stiles protested. "Not Zoe. Uh-uh. No way. Not a chance. Literally anyone else. How about Kira?"

Kira's eyes widened. "Who? Me? No way. Not me."

Scott frowned. "No, no, Liam already knows Zoe." He glanced at me. "You said you two are best friends, right?"

"Probably not anymore after last night," I grumbled.

Lydia stepped up to me. "If you've really been best friends, then no matter what, he'll forgive you."

I sighed. "You don't know Liam like I do."

* * *

Ten minutes later, I was spruced and ready to seduce. Lydia had lent me a low-cut top that exposed a desirable amount of cleavage, and she had stolen my jacket from me. I had already been wearing a short-ish skirt, which unfortunately for me, matched perfectly with the top.

My cue was to walk up to Liam once he exited one of the only classes I didn't have with him. Which meant I had to sprint from mine so I could catch him in time.

The bell rang, and my face was perfectly flushed when I finally got to the room he was exiting. I left just enough room so I could do the strutting that Lydia had talked to me about. I was supposed to sway my hips and give him a sultry look. Lydia had been very specific.

So as soon as I saw Liam, I knew he also saw me. Mason was with him, but Liam wasn't listening to a word he was saying. His eyes were on me.

I added an extra swish to my hips like Lydia said, and let my arms swing lightly at my sides. My last secret weapon was smiling as I bit the corner of my lip. Liam had once told me it was really cute. I only hoped he was right. Truly, my only hope was that I could distract his logical head with his little head.

His brows raised slightly and he seemed astonished. I stopped in front of him, looking at him through my lashes.

"Zoe?" he asked, as if finally coming back to reality and realizing it was me. His best friend who might as well have betrayed him. "What are you doing?" I didn't miss his eyes darting down to the hem of my skirt, or how they stopped at my cleavage for a few seconds. I nearly had him.

"Oh, I just happened to catch wind of a party tonight." I paused for effect, and smiled, my eyelashes fluttering at him. "Want to go with me?"

I'll admit that I hadn't been able to determine whether he would say yes or no. I could easily see him going both ways. After all, I had been his best friend for several months, and had even stayed close with him after I moved back home and he desecrated that teacher's car. Most of his other friends stopped talking to him. That had to give me some points.

Liam hesitated, and I noticed that Mason had disappeared into the crowd. I didn't blame him. Even I didn't want to be here. Not in these circumstances. It wasn't fair to Liam. And it wasn't fair to me.

"Yeah, okay," he conceded, and on the inside, I pumped my fist in the air. Liam smirked. "Just don't be weird."

"Weird?" I repeated. "What do you mean? You think I'm weird?"

He just laughed, and I wondered if this meant that we were okay. Probably not. Liam didn't let go of things that easily. Maybe he was just giving me a second chance. Which meant I was on thin ice. Another thought crossed my mind as we walked down the hall together: Hook, line, and sinker.

I hated myself.

* * *

That evening, as I was finishing getting ready for the party, Stiles texted me.

_"Be careful, sister dear, the kid's supposed to wolf out soon."_

I rolled my eyes, touching up my eye makeup before tapping out a response.

_"I know, Stiles. I just wish I didn't have to do this. Liam's my friend."_

He replied in seconds.

_"It's for a good cause, Zoe. Kira will be there in five."_

I sighed, and stuffed my phone in my purse. As I was supposed to be going to a party, I had to dress to impress. Even if it was a setup.

Either way, I was wearing a sleeveless red skater dress. A woven belt cinched at the waist, and I paired the ensemble with black flats. There was no way I could wear heels on full moon night. And I might end up taller than Liam. (Eek!)

Dad wasn't home, so he didn't have to worry, and I got another text, this once from Kira, informing me that she was in my driveway. I dashed out of the house and climbed into the back of her car. Next stop was Liam's.

I jumped out of the car when we rolled up to his house. The place was big. Not any lesser in size than his last house, but still. I used the brass knocker to rap on the door, and Dr. Geyer was the one that opened it. He smiled, and then took in my appearance.

"Good to see you so soon, Zoe!" he chirped, and pulled me into the house. I shrugged helplessly at Kira and let him lead me into the living room. I recognized all the furniture, and couldn't help but smirk at seeing the sofas that Liam and I had so often lounged on, just watching T.V. Sometimes I even watched him play video games.

I glanced around, my eyes roving over framed pictures of Liam and his parents. There was even a taupe vase on a pedestal in the corner of the room that held flowers, and if you looked close enough, you could see the cracks where Liam and I had glued the thing back together after he smashed it in anger.

"You're not here for dinner, are you?" Dr. Geyer asked, drawing my attention back to him. I shook my head, offering an apologetic smile.

"Did Liam not tell you about the party?" I wondered if that meant he had intended to bail on me. Oh man, I wanted to die.

Dr. Geyer smiled softly as we heard a pair of feet coming down the long staircase. "Well, I'm glad you two finally got together. Liam's mother and I were wondering when..."

My entire face colored, and I stiffened. "What do you mean?" I asked. "We're not... Not at all... That's not - I mean, not that I wouldn't be inter - no, it's not like that. Just friends - that's what I keep saying - just friends, sir. Not..."

Liam's stepfather grinned, and he glanced over my shoulder at something. I turned to see Liam standing at the front of the room, his cheeks pink and his Tiffany Blue eyes wide. I'm sure my amber ones were the same size.

Oh, God, did he think this was a date? Was I taking Liam on a fake date?

I perked up suddenly, deciding that this was my excuse to leave. "Liam! Are you ready to go? My friend's waiting in the driveway."

He nodded wordlessly, and I trailed after him to the front door. I tried not to notice how nice his shoulders looked in the jacket he was wearing.

"It's too bad Liam's mom went to bed early, otherwise she would have loved to see you again, Zoe," Dr. Geyer said. Liam opened the door and started toward the car, albeit slowly, like he didn't want to directly show that he was waiting for me to catch up.

"Yeah, hopefully I'll see her soon," I said, inching away. Dr. Geyer was a kind man, but the whole situation was awful. I was straddling the fence of Liam's friendship, and I wasn't sure where I actually stood.

Dr. Geyer gave me a serious look. "Dinner," he reminded me, and I nodded, glancing at Liam's back. After tonight, he was never going to forgive me.

I bid the doctor goodbye and slid into the backseat after Liam. He smiled slightly at me, and I returned it nervously. I couldn't get it out of my head how I was deceiving him. It was times like these that I hated being involved with Scott and the others.

The radio was playing softly, but Liam was breathing hard, and I realized with a jolt that the moon was nearly up. And we weren't at the lake house.

"Can you turn the music down?" Liam asked, sweat beading on his forehead.

Kira, the ever present sweetheart, misheard the boy and glanced back at us nervously. At least I wasn't the only one. "You want me to turn the music up?"

I hesitated only a moment before slipping my hand in Liam's warm one, squeezing it gently. He took a deep breath, and it shuddered only a little. He shot me a grateful smile, and then his phone buzzed. I couldn't see the contact name, but Liam frowned.

"Zoe, who'd you say was coming to this party?" he asked me quietly, leaning in. I could smell his cologne, and his spearmint breath. For a full ten seconds, I tried to gather my bearings. Then I looked at Kira.

I hated to throw her under the bus like this, but... "Kira, who did you say was coming?"

She hummed. "Everyone."

My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out, resisting the urge to scowl at Stiles's name. There was no text in the message, just a photo attachment. I opened it to see a smashed blue car with 'this is your fault' spray-painted onto the side. At once, I tilted the phone away from Liam. Then another message popped up.

_"This kid's dangerous, Zoe. Be careful."_

I nearly scoffed. Telling me to be careful around my best friend. I knew exactly what he was capable of, and the only time he actually hurt me was when I got knocked down. And that was because we had kidnapped and taped him up.

I typed a quick reply, seeing the lake house up ahead.

_"I'm not worried about his emotions, Stiles. I'm worried he won't want to be my friend anymore."_

Seconds, later, my phone buzzed again.

_"Well, we've got bigger problems."_

The moon was out, and Liam's breathing quickened again. His face scrunched up and he turned away from me, though his hand was still clasped in mine. Bigger problems, indeed.

Kira pulled up to the lake house, and I knew Liam was instantly suspicious. He eyed the amount of vehicles. Just Stiles's Jeep, and Scott's dirt bike. They must have carpooled.

"Where is everyone?" Liam inquired as we clambered out of the car. He pulled me with him, and I felt the slight chill prickle my skin. Liam must have noticed, because he shrugged off his jean jacket and I slid my arms into the long sleeves.

I smiled, more to myself than anyone else. The jacket was warm, and smelled like Liam. Whatever his cologne was, I was in love with it.

"They're here," Kira said. "It's a small party."

Liam frowned. "You said everyone was coming." I noticed the weakness in his voice, the instability of it. I glanced up at the moon. It was full and bright, all right.

Thankfully, Kira took it upon herself to answer all the tough questions. "They are. They're late. And we're early. So we better hurry." She motioned for us to come along, and Liam grabbed my hand again. His was sweaty, and I wondered if he was aware of that.

Kira pushed open the front door and we stepped inside to see Scott, Lydia, Malia, and Stiles waiting in a dark living room for us. I spotted the chains on one of the side tables. "Sorry," Kira said, shutting the door and blocking it.

Liam's gaze found mine, and I tried to apologize with my eyes. I don't think I was doing so hot. He let go of my hand.

"What the hell is this?" Liam asked the group.

"Think of it like an intervention," Stiles said bracingly. "You have a problem, Liam."

Scott nodded. "And we're the only ones that can help."

* * *

**Don't think that this means that Liam forgives Zoe just yet. I don't necessarily take him as the grudge holding type, but I don't think he'd forgive very easily either. But Zoe won't give up! After all, a certain emotional bond can be formed when someone fixes you when you're broken, and that's exactly what Liam did for Zoe. The nogitsune thing really screwed with her, being her brother and what not. Also, I want to super duper thank the people that reviewed! It means a lot to me, so thank you. Lemme know what you think in a review! **

**So I've been writing ahead a little and I wanted to know a couple things. What do you think of Liam and Zoe's relationship so far? Do you like where it's going? Do you want more romance? I'm trying to make it slower, because clearly they're still in the best friend stage. Are you guys excited for this Monday's episode? I know I am. (Also I'm really sad that I won't be able to fully write Weaponized even though it was a crap episode.)**

**8.10.2014**


	5. Chapter 5

chapter five: deceit

* * *

After Scott loosely explained what everyone in the room was, I could tell Liam didn't believe us for a second. I didn't blame him. It sounded crazy.

"Werewolf?" He gestured at Scott. "Were-coyote." Malia. "Banshee." Lydia. "Fox?" Liam glanced at Kira, who was still standing behind us, blocking the door. I was torn between also feeling trapped, and being the trapper.

"Kitsune," she corrected. "But fox works."

Liam's stare landed on Stiles. I somehow knew this had been coming, but hoping that we could skip it. I didn't want to remember. "What are you?"

My brother's eyes darted to mine, and his mouth opened, but, for a second, nothing came out. I gave a small nod, and unfortunately, Liam didn't miss this.

"Uh, for a little while," Stiles said, "I was possessed by an evil spirit. It was very evil." More than just evil. Sinister. Vile. Wicked.

"What are you now?" Liam's arms folded.

Yeah, he thought this was a load of crap.

"Better? Um..."

Liam turned to me, and I knew it was starting. Either the moon, or the anger, I wasn't sure. Maybe now they intertwined together - whatever it was, Liam was getting mad. The irritability, the _betrayal,_ was evident in his voice. "And what are you, Zoe?"

I wanted to meet his eyes. I did. It might make me seem more sincere. But I was tired of lying to him. I was tired of lying to my best friend. I sighed and fidgeted with the right cuff of Liam's jacket. "An awful person," I said.

No one said anything in response, and it was almost enough for me to look up, but I didn't dare.

"Are those for me?" Liam asked, looking at the shackles.

Malia shook her head. "No, they're for me." Her eyes flashed a weird sort of blue color.

"How did you do that?"

"You'll learn," Scott promised. "But first, you need to get through the full moon." His voice was calm, and I knew that would piss Liam off more than anything. He hated being patronized.

"The moon's already out," Liam spat.

Scott took a slight step forward. "And you're starting to feel something, aren't you?"

I suddenly remembered the night Scott first transformed. I had been with my brother at the time, and it was not a pleasant experience. Scott said things he didn't mean... At least, that's what he said afterward. For the time being, they hurt a lot.

"I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of psychotic nut jobs," Liam bit out, and I winced. Ouch, that was a stab to the heart. "You guys are out of your freaking minds." Liam's voice was rising in level, and I realized it was happening. The anger. Boy, did he need to learn to control it. "I don't know how you did that eye thing and I don't care. I'm walking out the door right now! If any of you try to stop me, I swear to God, I'm gonna..."

My hand was hovering over his bicep when he suddenly clutched his head as if in pain, screaming, and then panting hard. His chest heaved, and I gripped his arm, trying to steady his swaying body.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked. "Liam?"

Liam inhaled like it took serious effort. "You don't hear that?" Liam crouched, pulling me with him, seeing as I was still attached to his arm. Scott knelt in front of us. Lights flashed through the windows, and Kira gathered the curtains to look through them. Her eyes widened.

"Did you tell someone about this?" Lydia demanded.

"My friend Mason," Liam said, and I pursed my lips. That must have been who texted him. I should have figured that this plan would fall apart sooner or later. Just like all the others.

There was hooting and yelling coming from outside, and we all exchanged looks. "You said it was a party!" Liam exclaimed in his defense.

"Who did Mason invite?"

Kira let the curtains go and turned back to the rest of us. "Everyone."

Liam grunted in pain, his werewolf claws coming out. He scraped them against the wood flooring, and Lydia freaked, jumping forward. "The floors! Get him off the floors!" He roared, stopping her from speaking further.

"We need to get him to the boathouse," Scott told us, and he and I lifted him to his feet with the help of Kira. "Now!"

Stiles grabbed my elbow at the last second, stopping us from going forward. "Stiles!" Scott and I chastised, but my brother ignored us. He gave me a searing look, pursing his lips and bouncing slightly.

I knew he wanted to tell me to stay in the house with Lydia. I knew he wanted to protect me with everything had, because he hadn't been able to for so long. But I also knew he understand what it meant to be with someone when they shifted. We had both been with Scott. And now Stiles stayed with Malia. So there was no way I was leaving Liam with people he didn't know when something was happening to him that he didn't understand.

"Be careful," Stiles whispered, and I nodded, pushing us through the house again.

* * *

The three of us managed to drag a growling Liam to the boathouse, and so far, we had had a bit of trouble chaining him up. He was moving too much.

"Stay still, Liam!" I reprimanded, but he paid me no heed. His eyes had changed to a brilliant gold, and he was focusing all his anger on Scott, who was holding him back and pressing him against a beam. Kira hovered to the side, and I was behind the beam that I was chaining Liam to.

I never thought I'd have to chain up my best friend. It just goes to show, being involved with werewolves ruins everything.

Scott had given me the full story of why he bit Liam. Apparently, the boy had been hanging off the edge of the ceiling the night he broke his ankle. There was a wendigo, and Scott have nothing to grab Liam with but his teeth.

All in all, I guess Scott saved Liam. But at what cost?

"I got him," Scott said, grunting with the effort of holding Liam. His anger was making him stronger. Heightened werewolf capabilities mixed with a severe anger disorder? Not a good combination. "Get his hands, Zoe."

I fumbled with the chains, grabbing one of Liam's. He took a deep breath, and for a second, I thought he was okay. But then he tore from my grasp, lunging at Scott, knocking him back. Liam was snarling, probably itching to tear Scott's throat out, but Scott was a True Alpha. He was strong too.

And just as I thought it, Liam's hand actually clamped around around Scott's throat, and his other one held in the air. I scrambled over to them, obviously not thinking, and lunged at Liam, latching onto him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I pressed my face into his back, feeling his accelerated heartbeat and the heat of his body.

"Let go of Scott, Liam!" I shouted, and Kira whopped him in the head with an oar. Liam and I toppled off Scott, and I rolled out from under him. His eyes were closed, and his breathing had softened.

Scott jumped to his feet and the both of them crouched beside Liam and I. "Oh, God. I didn't kill him, did I?" Kira asked frantically, and Scott listened for a pulse.

"No," Scott said. "He's out cold."

I sighed, sitting back on my heels. Yeah, my friendship with Liam was over. "Hopefully Stiles is doing better."

* * *

An unidentifiable time later, we had chained Liam up to one of the support beams, and I sat to his left while Kira and Scott were opposite us. Liam looked so peaceful, his breathing even and stable.

"He looks so young," Kira commented.

Scott nodded. "He is. Zoe is, too." His eyes went from Liam's form to me, and I offered a small smile. I had nothing to say. I didn't want to say anything. "You're only fifteen."

"What are we going to do with him?"

I wanted to lean against Liam, but the chains around his body prevented me from actually doing so. I didn't know if it would even be a comfort at this point.

"We're going to help him," Scott said.

I could hear the vague pumping of the music coming from the lake house. I hadn't been to any of Lydia's parties before, but from the hype, she must throw pretty awesome ones. I just hoped she wasn't losing her mind over the hordes of freshmen.

"What if he doesn't want our help?"

Scott frowned. "He will." Then he paused and his soft brown eyes found me again. "Zoe, can you hold his hand?"

My eyebrows raised. "Why?" Not that I was objecting, or anything.

"You make him calm," Scott said. "And he needs to stay calm." I had my doubts, but I threaded my fingers through Liam's. His palm was warm, if but slightly sweaty. I gave a gentle squeeze, which he did not return. He was unconscious, after all.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my purse, ignoring Scott and Kira while they talked slow songs. The message was from Mason, a boy in a couple of my classes. He was friends with Liam, but I didn't know him very well.

_"Is Liam with you?"_

Automatically, my eyes flicked to the boy next to me, but I obviously couldn't tell Mason that we were in the boathouse. First of all, the amount of implications that statement had was enormous, and second, Liam was chained to a pole. I doubt I could talk my way out of that.

_"Haven't seen him. Sorry."_

I was usually very good at lying. It came from the Stilinski blood running through my veins. But not when it came to Liam. I didn't like lying to him. And I didn't like tricking him.

When I had been staying with Grammy, at first, it had been easy being untruthful with Liam. I was used to it, what with being sucked into the supernatural hellhole that was my brother and his friends' lives. Most of the time, I hadn't minded lying through my teeth.

Then Liam and I got close. It was difficult weaving half-truths into things when I want him to know everything. Though I didn't want him to know because he would think I was crazy. And Liam was one of the best friends I had ever had. I didn't want to lose him. I didn't want to betray him. With his disorder, he already had moments where his friends just couldn't deal anymore.

I wanted to be the one person - aside from his parents - that he could count on, no matter what.

But I also had a duty to my brother and Scott to keep their secrets. They weren't mine to tell, and it wouldn't be fair of me to let Liam know anything without their permission. They hadn't even known I considered telling him.

Scott turned on some music, and he and Kira started slowly moving together. I sighed, resting on head on Liam's shoulder.

A rumble went through his system, and I glanced up at Liam's face. The moonlight only made it possible to make out some of his features, but I could clearly see his fangs bared, his eyes golden, and his face shifted. He growled, and Scott and Kira looked over.

"Are those chains going to hold him?" Kira queried, and Liam's fingers tightened around mine, his claws digging into my flesh. I hissed, ripping my hand from his. Blood dripped from the marks and Scott nodded.

"Uh. Yeah. I think. Definitely. He can't be that strong..."

Liam snarled, and then outstretched his arms, the chain links breaking in an instant. His chest heaved, and his shoulders hunched to accommodate the werewolf inside of him.

"Zoe!" Scott called. "Get away from him!" I didn't have to be told twice. I scrambled away from Liam as he charged Scott and Kira. They parted and Liam jumped out the boathouse window, the glass smashing, shards clinking on the floor.

Despite my better judgement, I dashed out of the boathouse, pretending not to notice the stinging sensation in my hand. Above all, Liam was a werewolf, and he had no idea what was going on or how to control it. He needed help. He needed someone to tell him it was okay, that he was okay. And he needed familiarity.

"Zoe!" they shouted after me. "Zoe, wait!"

Liam wasn't running in a straight line. He was all over the place, and he was fast. But I needed him to be okay. And I wanted him to need me, too. So I pushed harder, and briefly thought about how I had picked the worst shoes to wear.

"Liam! Liam!" I quickly lost sight of him, but I heard crunching leaves, and Scott shot past me, huffing quietly.

Mostly, I was just running around and yelling for my best friend, but when I finally found Scott and Liam, the pair were rolling around on the ground, Liam slashing at Scott. "Liam, stop!" I yelled, and he slammed Scott against a tree, snarling.

"What did you do to me?" Liam growled, his voice slightly distorted. I hovered behind them, knowing there was no chance I could compete with a shifted werewolf.

"Liam..." Scott held him back, and didn't seem fazed at all.

But Liam was frustrated, and he didn't understand, which, ultimately, cultivated the anger, making him lash out. "This is your fault. It's all your fault! This is your fault!" he roared, and there was a whooshing sound.

An arrow sailed over my right shoulder and embedded itself into the tree Liam had Scott against. It exploded with a flash bang, blinding Liam and I.

I shrieked, blinking the white light out of my eyes, and sprinted after my best friend when he bailed, not even noticing that Scott wasn't behind me anymore, or caring where the arrow came from.

"Liam, we can help you!" I shouted, and we ran for several more minutes before coming into a clearing. There were four objections poking out of the ground, a fair distance from each other, and I recognized what they were just as Liam stepped over the imaginary line.

Argent had been here.

At once, the frequency emitters came to life and Liam screamed, collapsing and holding his head. I fell to my knees beside him, wrapping my arms around his shuddering body. He resisted at first, thrashing and yelling wildly, but when I squeezed tighter, and the emitters turned off, he relaxed into my embrace, even going so far as to bury his face into my hair.

"What's happening to me, Zoe?" he mumbled, his voice wobbly, and I pulled away so I could see his normal eyes. They were wide with fear, darting across my face, looking for something - what, I wasn't sure.

Scott made his presence known, and Liam and I looked up. "What's happening to me?" Liam repeated, and Scott stood in front of us, holding the emitter button in his hands. He must have met Chris Argent in the woods after Liam and I ran off.

"The same thing that happened to me," Scott said solemnly. He crouched, and I tightened my hold on Liam. His arms snaked around my waist and I felt his hot breath on my neck. I shivered, and Liam held my hands in his.

"They can't know about this," Liam panted. "My mom, my stepdad, I can't do this to them again." I closed my eyes as Scott asked what he meant. "I got kicked out of school and I deserved it," Liam explained. "The way they looked at me when they saw what I did to that car..."

It was true; Liam hadn't thoroughly talked to me about it, but when I came to visit the weekend before he moved, he was so frustrated with himself it made me want to cry. And he _did_ cry.

"Liam, it's okay," Scott said.

"They can't see me like this." Liam choked back a sob. "Like...like..."

Scott nodded. "Like a monster? You're not a monster." Liam glanced up at him. "You're a werewolf. Like me."

Liam squeezed my hand, and I sucked in a breath, jerking my hand away. He looked bewildered, and perhaps slightly hurt, so I tried to put on a smile while curling my fingers into a fist.

Scott stepped closer curiously and Liam snatched my hand, stretching out my digits. He stared at the dig marks on my hand and I winced when his thumb hovered over the wounds. Liam met my eyes, and he looked the sorriest I had ever seen him.

"Did I do that?" he asked quietly, and when I couldn't respond, his face crumpled. "I didn't mean to... I'm sorry, Zoe." He wrapped me in a hug and buried his face in the hollow of my neck. "I'm sorry..."

* * *

**And that was chapter five. Hopefully you liked it? I liked writing it. I even stayed up late so I could finish it. This isn't Liam forgiving Zoe, but it isn't him not forgiving her, either. Did that make any sense? There's a little bit of a hint of what will come soon - what Zoe will have to tell Liam - although literally no one will guess it. I hope to do a lot of things with this story, like not just stay in the canon universe, you know what I mean? Like in the previous chapter, Zoe met Liam's stepfather again when she went to pick him up for the "party." And he mentioned the dinner date thing again, so that's going to happen eventually. But at the right time! Drop a review and lemme know what you think! **

**Okay, okay, so school is starting this Thursday, just to let you all know. Hopefully I won't be too brain-dead to post, but who knows? I want to thank you all for the reviews! They've literally brightened my day and I cried a little, to be honest. You're inspiring me to continue writing, so thank you! I'm very excited for the next couple chapters, but like I said, updates may or may not slow due to my school schedule, though hopefully I can keep on top of things. Also, I'm really glad Liam was in Time of Death! Weaponized won't be a problem, because I have plans for that, but yeah. Thanks again and keep reviewing please!**

**8.12.2014**


	6. Chapter 6

chapter six: everything

* * *

I flopped on my bed, exhaling and letting my eyes flutter closed. We had just gotten home from the lake house - well, the boys and I did. Lydia, Malia, and Kira were staying for the weekend so Lydia could figure out the rest of the cipher codes. That was another thing that we had been told about when we all met back up.

The notes that Lydia had were actually a code. And when putting in the first name - Allison - it revealed twelve other names with numbers beside them. Stiles had a theory that the numbers added up to the hundred seventeen million thefted from the Hale vault, but he was still piecing everything together.

Everyone was on the code. Scott, Kira, Lydia, Derek... Sean Walcott - the wendigo - and his family were on it as well. But they were all dead. Which meant that this was a hit list. A deadpool.

And there was still two-thirds left to crack, which meant Liam might be on it, too. At this point, I wasn't even thankful I wasn't on the list, because if all the people I cared about were murdered by assassins, then nothing else mattered.

That was another thing. According to Scott, he and Argent found a man by the name of Demarco Montana beheaded on the night of the party. And Demarco Montana was on the list. Which meant that someone knew he would be there. Which meant that the murderer - the assassin - was a student. The assassin went to Beacon Hills High. And was a freshman.

I groaned, and decided to sleep it off. After changing out of my red dress and into pajamas, I wandered to my brother's room. He was so busy constructing a profile up on all the events that had happened so far that he didn't even notice me leaning on the door frame.

"Are you going to talk to Dad about this?" I asked, and Stiles jumped, dropping a roll of red tape. He had just fixed a piece to the Mute, one of the assassins that had been knocking people off. The Mute was dead now, however, killed by Peter Hale. Dad had called us about that around an hour ago. Said something about a bomb, too, but that Deputy Parrish was taking care of it.

Stiles sighed, picking up the roll and flitting about the room and then taping a photo of Demarco Montana's dead body on the clear board. "Yeah, soon, but I'll tell him with Scott," he said, and I nodded.

I unfurled my right fist, staring at the bandage on my palm. Kira had taped it up after we got back to the lake house, Liam still apologizing profusely. He clearly felt awful about it, but I couldn't hold it against him. Just like with Scott on the first couple full moons, Liam couldn't control it.

"Scott wanted me to ask you if you'd keep an eye on that kid." I glanced at my brother, who was staring at Demarco's decapitated head. "He said that it would be easier for Liam because he knows you." He turned to the side, still not facing me, and shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "I don't like it, Zoe," he muttered.

I smiled, striding up to my brother. "He won't hurt me, Stiles," I said, patting his arm. Stiles's eyes met mine, so I added, "Not on purpose."

Stiles's eyebrows pulled together. "Somehow that doesn't make me feel better." We laughed, and I mirrored my brother's posture.

"How was Malia tonight?"

Stiles bobbed his head. "The usual. But then - get this - she shifted back." He grinned at my wondrous look. "She brought herself back. She - you had to be there." He shook his head again, smiling, and then it faltered. "I told her something."

"Okay," I prompted, my brows furrowed at my brother's suddenly nervous behavior. It wasn't a good sign.

"Something about the nogitsune." His eyes flicked up to gauge my reaction, and I tried to keep my features light. I didn't blame Stiles. It wasn't his fault. "I remember it, Zoe," he sputtered. "All of it." I already knew that. Because how could he not?

I nodded. "It's okay," I said, swallowing the catch in my voice. The nogitsune hadn't hurt me physically. He hadn't so much as laid a finger on me. It was the pretending to be my brother, manipulating us into believing him to actually be Stiles. Trusting him. That was what screwed with me. That was why I had to leave. That was why I couldn't look Stiles in the eyes afterward.

"It's not." He shook his head, drawing me into his arms. I tensed, and then immediately relaxed. This was my brother. "It's not okay, and I know that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me, Zoe. I'm sorry I was the reason you needed someone in the first place."

I didn't know what else to do besides lean my head into his chest and blink back the tears. When Scott had been bitten by Peter, I had never expected any of this. I didn't predict the pain, the hurt, the struggles.

I pulled away first. "I'm going to go to bed." I smiled, and ignored the shine in his eyes. He nodded, and sniffed, spinning on his heel to the clear board again, staring at the photos. My smile widened, and I padded back to my room.

As I turned off the light, my phone buzzed, and Liam's name popped onto the screen. I stared at the letters for a full five minutes before I opened the message, nervous and surprised.

_"Can you come to my house tomorrow at noon?"_

I breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly sucked in back in. What if he just didn't want to tell me he didn't want to be my friend anymore over a text? Oh, God, was I going to have a *talk* with him? I tapped out a quick response.

_"Definitely. See you then."_

I hadn't expected another message, but when the vibrations started, I smiled at what he sent me.

_"Goodnight, Zoe."_

Maybe Liam wasn't ready to let go of me as a friend yet, either.

_"Goodnight, Liam."_

* * *

The next morning, I was up making pancakes for Dad and Stiles. Lord knows that neither of them could cook to save a life. Speaking of the former, Dad walked into the kitchen already wearing his uniform.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said upon me giving him a plate of breakfast. As he reached for the butter, I gave him a look.

"Not too much butter, Dad," I reminded him. "Remember the cholesterol."

Dad sighed, sinking into a chair at the table, sweeping aside a couple bills from Eichen House. I pretended not to notice. "You're just like your brother," he grumbled.

"You give him too much credit, Dad." I smiled, sitting across from him. "Stiles isn't nearly as awesome as I am."

"What?" my brother asked, barreling into the room. "Heard my name."

I shook my head, laughing. "Nothing, brother dear. Just eat your pancakes." He nodded vigorously and doused them in syrup.

As soon as I finished my breakfast, I stood up. I still had an hour and a half before I had to be at Liam's. "Well, I better go get ready. Stiles, you can drive me, right?"

"What? No," he said. "I have stuff to do." His eyes widened at me. "_Important_ stuff, remember?"

I sighed. "Right. Uh, Dad?"

"Where are you going again?" he asked, and I told him that I needed to be at Liam's. "Oh, that Dunbar kid? You met him when you lived with Gran, right? Yeah, all right."

I smiled, pecking him on the cheek and sticking my tongue out at Stiles. Bounding into the bathroom, I turned on the shower.

* * *

Ten minutes later would find me in a black sleeveless hoodie and jeans. I slipped my arms through the jean jacket that I forgot to return to Liam, and touched up my makeup. I had never been one for too much, so I just stuck with eyeliner and mascara. My dark brown hair fell naturally to my shoulders, and I stuffed my feet into a beaten up pair of All Stars.

Dad was already waiting in the squad car, and I choked down the embarrassment at being driven somewhere by the Sheriff. As a kid, it had been the best thing ever. Everyone thought I was wicked cool, and on the occasion, Dad would let me turn on the sirens. Now it was just uncomfortable.

I gave Dad directions to Liam's, and when he pulled into the driveway, he ogled the house. "You said his stepfather's a doctor, right?" When I nodded, an amused smile on my face, Dad added, "Maybe I should look into medical school."

"Love you, Dad," I said, getting out of the car and waving. He waited for me to get to the front door before pulling out and driving to the station.

I took a deep breath before rapping on the door. Seconds later, it swung open, and Liam stood at the threshold, his brows raised in amusement. "You have a police escort?" he inquired, and I laughed. "That was your dad, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I said. "Remember, I told you he was the sheriff?" Liam nodded, and gestured for me to follow him in. I closed the door behind me and let my eyes rove around the foyer that lead into the living room. I noted that neither of Liam's parents were home, not that that was unusual. Both of them worked busy schedules, so often Liam was left alone. Not that he minded, I don't think. Usually I had come over and we hung out.

"Let's go to my room," Liam said. I trailed after him wordlessly, taking in the unfamiliar territory. I liked Liam's old house, but this one was good, too. It wasn't about the place, anyway. It was about the people inside it.

Liam's room was almost exactly as I remembered it. The lacrosse gear hanging out of his duffel, the clothes strewn about the floor, the comforter on his bed lazily folded back. He even kept up the same photographs. There was several of him and me; we were cheering at the end of a lacrosse game that Liam had won; one of Liam giving me a piggyback ride; then my favorite - his arm was slung around my shoulders, his fingers squeezing my right one, and my hand was just above his hip. We were smiling.

I breathed out through my nose and noticed Liam's pensive stare. "What?" I asked, and his eyes drifted down. "Liam?"

"After we got out of the woods, and you went up to the lake house, Scott took me back to the boathouse," Liam explained. "He showed me the window I jumped through when I...shifted. The anger...it's only going to make it worse, Zoe. Remember what my stepdad always says?"

I nodded, my eyebrows furrowing. "When kids get angry, they deal with it one of two ways," I repeated. "They either hurt themselves, or they hurt someone else." I had heard Dr. Geyer say that multiple times. The first time was when Liam had gotten into a fight at Devenford. An upperclassman had egged him on, and Liam already had a short fuse. He came home with a black eye. The second was when Liam smashed his mother's vase, cutting up his hand.

His breathing hardened for a moment, and then his eyes flicked up to mine. Tiffany Blue met amber. "I don't want to hurt you, Zoe," he whispered.

I still remembered, clear-as-day, his claws digging into my skin. It had hurt, but after a while, the pain dissipated. It was like any other flesh wound, just deeper. "I don't blame you, Liam," I said, and he didn't respond for a while.

When he did, however, I'm sure I froze. "Will you tell me about why you really went to live with your grandmother?" he asked. "I know it had something to do with your brother. I saw the look he gave you when he mentioned the evil spirit thing." Liam may just be fifteen, and he may have anger issues, but he wasn't dumb.

I sighed. I think, deep down, I knew that as soon as Liam was bitten that he would eventually find out what happened. Some part of me really wanted him to know, too, because Liam had fixed me when I was in pieces, without even knowing why. But another part wanted to forget about it for the rest of my life and never speak of it, though I knew that that was impossible. It would always be there. A dark memory that I never wanted to relive.

Liam was my best friend. Or, he once was. He still could be, and I think he was giving me a chance to redeem myself. He didn't bring up the seducing him into going to the lake house, or the aiding and abetting in kidnapping him, which I was grateful for. Those were not my shining moments.

I wanted Liam in my life. I needed him. So I told him everything. How it all began, and how everything was still falling. Not necessarily into place, but somewhere. And I knew that if he was going to survive as a werewolf, as part of Scott's pack, he would need to know all that he could about his present situation. I was going to help him figure everything out. I was going to be his Stiles.

* * *

Hours later, I was still at Liam's house. Neither of his parents had returned, so Liam and I were in the process of rifling through a drawer full of takeout menus. We couldn't decide between Chinese or Mexican food.

"Come on," I said, "how can you not like egg rolls?" We had actually had this discussion before. Back when I lived with Grammy, I forced Liam to eat one, and he nearly puked. "That's so weird! I just don't get it..."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Are we really going to talk about this again? And what's with you not liking enchiladas? Are you an alien?"

I laughed and shoved Liam. I liked this. After I told him about everything - excluding the deadpool, for now - he seemed to open up more. He was more comfortable around me. Just like before.

"How about we settle for pizza?" I asked, and he nodded. We called in two pepperonis and flopped on the sofa in the living room.

I stared up at the high ceiling, a stupid smile on my face. Liam was still my best friend. That was really all I could ask for. Yeah, I had other friends. Scott, Lydia, Kira, Malia... But to them, I was just Stiles's baby sister. To Liam, I was Zoe.

"Is that my jacket?" I glanced over at Liam, who had propped himself up on his elbow, staring at me with amusement. I grinned.

"If you're about to ask for me to give it back, then you can forget it," I said. "Because I'm never giving this back." I wrapped the jean jacket tighter around my body and inhaled the familiar spicy cologne.

Liam shook his head. "Nah, I was going to say you could keep it," he informed me. "It looks better on you anyway." He smiled at me, and I swear, his eyes sparkled. I knew that Angry Liam was a thing, and that it was a serious deal, but I had only ever truly seen Sweet Liam. He didn't like to explode around me. Even though sometimes he couldn't help it.

The doorbell rang and as Liam got up to answer it, I watched his muscles move beneath his t-shirt. I frowned. I had never noticed how broad his shoulders had gotten. Had his biceps always been that big?

Liam came back with two pizza boxes in one hand and he grinned at me, tossing them down on the coffee table in front of the sofa I was on. Had his smile always been that bright, though? His eyes had definitely always been that blue... He flipped open a box and grabbed a slice of pizza.

As I did the same, that brought on another thought. What if Liam was on the deadpool? So far, Lydia had only cracked a third of the list. There was a possibility that Liam could be on it. Which means that someone would try to kill him sooner or later.

* * *

"You just got killed," I mumbled, glancing at the T.V. screen. Liam had been playing some video game that I didn't know the name of, and had been yelling at some of his team mates before he was assassinated.

Liam scowled at me, and I grinned. He sighed heavily, making a big production of shutting off his game and collapsing on the sofa, a few inches too close to me.  
I could feel his breath on my face, and his lips were moving. Oh, God, he was saying something to me. What was he saying? I couldn't hear him. Had I gone deaf? A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, and I found myself smiling with him, though I had no idea what he'd said.

Liam Dunbar was my best friend, and no one was going to take him away from me. Not some deadpool, not some assassins. I would protect Liam at all costs.

* * *

**Ahh! Zoe told Liam! She basically just repeated all three seasons to him, so that's why I didn't write it out. I mean, I guess I could have, but this chapter wouldn't have come out for quite a while... Anyway, I don't know if you care or not, but I wrote this chapter under the influence of "Like Real People Do" by Hozier. Good song. Really good for the mood of this chapter. How do you feel about the first bit of this chapter? - the part where Zoe talks to Stiles. Just curious. Any ideas for what you want to see? Lemme know!**

**Thank you all for the reviews! I can't believe there are so many of you following and favoriting this story, either! So I've hit 40 followers! Thank you sooo much. School was okay. I'm really tired, though, so I might go to bed after I post this. I do have a lot of crazy classes this year that'll probably keep me fairly busy, but I'll be doing my damnedest to keep updating. **

**8.14.2014 **


	7. Chapter 7

chapter seven: not your fault

* * *

The rest of the weekend passed without a hitch. Well, for the most part. Sunday night, a woman named Carrie Hudson was killed. There were odd stab marks just below her chest, and the report still hadn't come back from the station, so the rest of us didn't know what to think about them. The only thing I knew was that Carrie Hudson was on the deadpool.

Lydia returned from the lake house without anymore cipher keys. No one said anything, however, because she looked like she was on the verge of death. This banshee business was beginning to seriously affect the poor girl.

Stiles and Scott told Dad all about the list and the killings that had been linked to it. I didn't want to be there for it because I couldn't stand piling all this information on him. I knew that he needed to be aware of everything that was going on around him, but along with the Eichen House bills and the MRIs, it was just a lot.

I did find out that Kira made the lacrosse team. I hadn't even known she tried out. So did Liam, obviously. Scott was captain, and even my brother had made first line. Scrimmage was on scheduled for Wednesday - today - and I still hadn't found Liam.

The bell was going to ring soon, and as I was heading to the locker room, I got a text from Mason.

_"We're in the weights room. Liam isn't on steroids, is he?"_

I frowned, and headed to the boys' locker room anyway. Liam would have to go there afterward to change, so I figured I'd meet him there.

When I finally did get to the locker room, the only light source was that spilling through the windows. Derek and Scott were talking in low tones. Derek was smiling - something that happened once in a blue moon, so I was shocked to see it - while Scott looked less than happy. There was a broken lacrosse stick at his feet, and I frowned. I remembered how Derek had hounded Scott when he first was bitten, and this could be a repeat. "That isn't Liam's, is it?" I asked.

"You just missed him, Zoe," Scott said, and I figured that the little nod at the door meant that he was dismissing me.

"I don't think you heard me," I insisted, stepping further into the locker room. My fingers curled around my backpack straps and I stood my ground. If there was one thing I had learned from this ordeal, it was that you had to be confident. "Is that Liam's stick?"

Derek and Scott exchanged looks, and I stared at them imploringly. Derek was the one who spoke first. "That anger that your friend has, it'll make him strong."

"And dangerous," Scott added.

"Very." Then Derek looked at me. "That's why he needs you, too. Scott's his Alpha, but he needs an anchor. Something that can bring him back."

Scott nodded. "You make him calm down, Zoe. Liam needs that."

"I don't think you understand," I said. "I can only do so much. You don't - you don't know everything, Scott. And we all know I can't always be there for Liam. There will be times that I won't be able to. He needs to learn how to anchor himself."

"Yes," Derek agreed, nodding, "but you may be able to anchor him, Zoe. People can be anchors, too. It doesn't always have to be an emotion."

I worried my lower lip. "You're saying that Liam could choose me to keep him human? That the thought of me might bring him back?" Derek nodded again. My eyebrows furrowed. This certainly was a lot to take in.

* * *

I was walking down the hallway during pass period when my phone beeped. I pulled it out of my pocket to see a message from Stiles - the dumb I.D. photo of him grinning and winking at me.

_"The killer is on the lacrosse team. He's got a knife in his stick."_

I frowned, and was about to reply when Liam ambushed me, pushing me gently against the lockers. His eyebrows were pulled together and he seemed angry, but not quite so. I noticed Mason hovering a few steps behind him, looking uneasy.

"Did you know that the scrimmage was against Devenford?" Liam asked me, his voice hushed, a touch of anger behind it. I shook my head, and Liam gripped my shoulders., his fingers pressing into the skin. "Did you know?" I don't know why he repeated himself, but when I didn't respond, one of his hands slipped down to mine and he pulled me along with him.

Mason followed after us, and Liam's fingers squeezed mine. I thought back to what Derek said about calming Liam down. It didn't work all the time, but I had been able to make him take a deep breath and give him comfort before, so maybe I could do it again. I would have to.

We exited the school, and I noticed a bus was parked outside. Boys I recognized from Devenford Prep were spilling out, holding their lacrosse gear. And Liam was heading right for them, dragging me along. "Liam, wait," Mason called. "What, no, no, no, no." A brief thought flashed across my mind that I was happy Liam had found another friend. Someone else to confide in that knew him nearly as well as I did.

"Liam," I said quietly, leaning towards him. "Maybe we shouldn't - "

"Brett!" he shouted, drawing the attention of Devenford's lacrosse captain, Brett Talbot. He was tall, much more so than Liam. I had hung out with him a couple times - him and Liam and the team - but after putting advances on me, stopped. And now I wasn't too fond of him after the way he treated Liam when he...

Mason stopped behind us as Liam and I stood in front of Brett. I had to crane my neck up to look at him. Liam's breathing had quickened and his shoulders heaved. I could tell he was having a hard time looking at Brett and not bashing his face in, and I tightened my grip on his hand, trying to convey my support towards him.

"I just wanted to say..." Liam started, just barely keeping the growl out of his voice. He held out his free hand for Brett to shake. "Have a good game." My jaw dropped, but I was secretly proud. There was silence for a few moments, where I'm sure that everyone was as stunned as I was.

Then Brett started laughing. "That's cute, Liam," Brett said. "Is that what they told you to say in Anger Management? Apologize and everything's fine?" Liam eyes shifted down and I glared at Brett, suddenly as furious as Liam would have been. "You demolished Coach's car," he added.

"I paid for it," Liam gritted out, his fingers flexing around mine.

"Yeah, you're going to pay for it," Brett said. His voice dropped an octave. "We're gonna break you in half out there. And it's gonna be all your fault."

That phrase. It's been said to Liam far too much. It affects him too deeply. I automatically expect Liam to lash out now, but clearly I underestimate him. His breathing accelerates, and I winced as his fingers crush mine. I squeezed his back discretely.

"Shut up, Brett," I intervened. "Liam hasn't done anything to you." Brett's gaze shifted to me, and it didn't pass my attention that his eyes slowly traveled over my body, lingering at the hem of my dress. My lips curled in disgust as he smirked appreciatively.

"Long time, no see, Zoe," he said. "You're as hot as ever, not that I doubted that would change, but it looks like you're still hanging with this loser. It's a shame, really. You could've had me." I hate his smug face, the haughty way he carries himself. I hate the way he treats Liam - they used to be good friends.

I sneered. "As if I'd ever want you when I could have - " Liam's claws came out suddenly and I sucked in a breath, plastering a fake smile on my face and forgetting about the rest of my sentence.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's go," said a familiar voice, and Scott slung an arm around Liam's shoulders, backing him and I up a bit. Stiles stepped in front of us, right before Brett.

"Hey, what's going on prep students?" Stiles asked, smiling. "Welcome to our little public high school. How you doing? Stiles." He held out a hand, but Brett didn't move. "That's a firm handshake you got there. Uh, we're very excited for scrimmage tonight."

I didn't pay so much attention to what my brother was saying as I was focused on trying to lower Liam's heart rate. I couldn't risk removing my hand from his, as his claws were still out and stuck in my flesh, so I settled on whispering to him while Scott rubbed reassuring circles into his back with his thumb.

"It's okay, Liam," I said to him, forcing him to hunch a little to hear me. "Don't listen to them. They're idiots. It's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault." I repeated the last bit until Stiles motioned for us to get the hell out of there.

Five minutes later would find us in the boys' locker room. Liam had shifted, and he was growling and snarling. I had since ripped my hand from his, and Stiles turned on the shower.

"Push him under," my brother said, and Scott slammed him against the tiles. Liam was drenched in seconds, Stiles and Scott holding him back.

I bit my lip, and Scott glanced back at me as Liam roared. "Hug him, Zoe!" I stared at Scott with a bewildered look, and Stiles's eyes practically bulged out of his head.

"Are you _serious_?!" he yelled at his best friend. "My _sister_?!"

I stared at Liam, his gold eyes looking right back at me. He snarled, and I flung myself at him. I was soaked, but I pretended not to notice as I clung to him, his chest rumbling as he growled again. I could feel his heartbeat, and I closed my eyes, pressing against him so he could feel mine, too.

"Liam," I said, "it's not your fault. It's not your fault, and I know that. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay..."

Scott and Stiles yanked us out, and my arms slipped from his shoulders to his waist. "Okay, you calm yet?" my brother asked, and Liam let out another roar. They pushed us back under the water, and I buried my face into Liam's neck. I whispered against his skin, letting my lips do the work.

Liam shook his head. "Okay! Okay!" he conceded, and I met his eyes. They were back to that beautiful Tiffany Blue that I loved. Stiles shut off the water, but not without noticing the blood going down the drain.

"Uhh, who's bleeding?" he asked, gaze drifting from Scott to Liam and I, as we had slid to the floor, soaked. Liam's eyes fell to my slightly bloody hand - most of which had dried - which I was cradling in my lap. The marks he gave me from the boathouse on my right hand had pretty much healed over, but now I had fresh ones on my left.

"I didn't mean to, Zoe - I'm sorry - " Liam said, his Tiffany Blues wide in realization and regret.

Stiles flipped. "Of course you didn't mean to! You'll never mean to! But you did! You hurt her! My sister! You're - You're dangerous, you know that? You're - "

"Stiles!" I scolded, shooting him a look. I knew that Liam felt awful, that he hated himself for the claw marks. And I knew he would blame himself, repeat the same mantra that Brett had said to him, the same one that he had been told his whole life. _It's all your fault._ "Not important right now."

My brother's eyes bugged out. "Not important? Not important! Zoe, you - "

"She's right, Stiles," Scott said, and my brother looked like he was going to protest, but clamped his mouth shut and groaned. To Liam, who had one arm around my waist, Scott started, "That car you smashed. I thought you said that was your teacher's."

"He was also my Coach." Liam sighed, looking away from the boys. "He benched me for the entire season."

Stiles just stared at us, and I could tell that on the inside, he was fuming. I knew he didn't like Liam, especially now. More so that I was involved with him. But my brother was going to have to suck it up.

"What did you do?" Scott asked, and Liam didn't say anything. I cleared my throat, and squeezed Liam's shoulder.

"He got a couple of red cards," I informed them, and Stiles scoffed.

"Just a couple?"

Scott crouched in front of us and met Liam's eyes. "You gotta be honest with us. What else happened?"

I stayed quiet. Liam really needed to do this on his own. I would help him if he required my assistance, but it was important that he move past the whole Devenford thing.

"Nothing," Liam insisted. "I got kicked out of school. They sent me to a psychologist for evaluation."

I remembered when that had happened. I had been back at the Stilinski house by then, but as soon as Liam called me, I had Dad drive me all the way back to Grandma's. Liam was furious, but at the same time, really embarrassed by having to go to the psychologist.

"What did they call it?" Scott inquired.

Liam's hand tightened around my waist, his fingers pressing into my skin. "Intermittent Explosive Disorder."

"I.E.D?" Stiles asked, and I rolled my eyes. I should have known Stiles would make a big deal out of this. "You're literally an I.E.D? That's great. That's great. Zoe's dating a walking time bomb - " he looked at Scott " - and you gave him super powers."

I scowled at my brother. "I've told you before, we're not - just shut up, Stiles."

Scott ignored us both. "Did they give you anything for it?"

"Risperdal," mumbled Liam.

At the boys' mildly confused looks, I added, "It's an anti-psychotic." My brother sighed heavily.

"Oh, this just gets better."

"But I don't take it," Liam said."

My brother clapped his hands together. "Obviously."

"_Stiles_," I hissed, only slightly appalled at his behavior.

Liam huffed. "I can't play lacrosse on it. It makes me too tired."

"Okay." Scott sighed. "I think you should bail out of the game. Tell Coach your leg is still hurting."

Liam stood, pulling me with him. Water dripped from my hair, and my clothes sagged from the excess weight. "No, no!" Liam protested, "I can do this. Especially if you're there." He glanced at his feet. "And Zoe." I smiled slightly. Liam had always liked me to be at his games.

"But, Liam, it's not just about the game," Scott said. "We think whoever killed Demarco might be on our team."

"Who's Demarco?"

I slapped Liam's chest lightly. "Remember that guy I told you about?" I asked. "The one that brought beer to the lake house party? He got beheaded."

He nodded and Scott said, "We think the person who ordered the keg killed Demarco." Liam's brows furrowed, and my eyes lit up. We looked at each other, and Scott's gaze shifted from Liam to me to Liam again. "Liam? Zoe?"

I frowned. "Liam, didn't you say to me earlier this week that Garrett told you he paid for the keg?"

He nodded again and glanced at Scott. "I don't know who ordered it, but Garrett paid for it."

I knew there was a reason I didn't like Garrett.

* * *

**Ahhh, I'm sorry, I'm awful! School has just been so horrendous. I'm tired all the time, and I have so much homework, and I'm also looking into applying for a job. So updates are probably going to be infrequent. I'm in my junior year of high school, which is supposed to be the toughest, but I'm definitely trying! But anyway. Scrimmage will be next chapter. How did you guys like this one? I'll admit, I struggled a little through the first bit. I was mostly just dragging my feet about writing it. If you care to know, I wrote this chapter under the influence of "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo. I don't know why, really. I was just feeling it, and that song gets me going. Anyway, let me know what you thought in a review!**

**8.19.2014**


	8. Chapter 8

chapter eight: nothing

* * *

The bleachers were packed. I stumbled down them when I saw Stiles appear near the bench where Scott and Kira were sitting. He threw his lacrosse stick down and sighed in aggravation. "Where's Dad?" I asked, peering around him. He had said he would be there to watch everyone play, but I didn't see him.

"I just got off the phone with him, Zoe," Stiles said. "He's on his way." I nodded, and leaned between Scott and Kira.

"So, what are you guys gonna do about Garrett?"

Scott sighed. "I don't think we can do anything yet. We're not even really sure if it's him."

I hummed, and then noticed Liam and Mason standing at the edge of the field. They were looking at Brett, who was pulling on his jersey and pads along with the other guys. "Well, good luck, you three!" I called before jogging over to Liam. "Hey," I smiled.

Liam grinned. "Mason thinks Brett is hot." I laughed, and Mason slapped Liam in the chest.

"Dude!"

I glanced at Brett, and made a considering face. "I mean if you look at him with one eye closed, and the other squinted..." This time both boys laughed, and I slung an arm around Liam's shoulders.

"Hey, Zoe," Mason said, "I'll meet you on the bleachers."

"Yeah, okay!" I leaned on Liam, and his arm snaked around my waist. "Be careful, Liam, all right?"

He frowned. "Why would I need to be careful? I mean, I know Scott said that the killer's on the team, but he wasn't even that sure." I wondered if Scott was listening in right now, and decided that Liam needed to know regardless.

"Liam, there's something I didn't tell you," I said, looking him in the eyes. "There's a list, okay? Lydia Martin deciphered part of it. All the people that have been dying lately - the guy that took you onto the roof the night you got bitten, Demarco, and that woman from the other night - they were all on the list - the deadpool. It's a list of supernatural creatures."

Liam nodded, his brows pulling together. "Okay, and? What does that have to do with me?"

I sighed. "Liam, you seem to be forgetting that now you're a werewolf now. There are two parts of the deadpool left, so it's not for sure, but you might be on it, Liam. So be careful, okay? For me."

He didn't say anything for a few moments, and I was beginning to wonder if he thought I was crazy. But I wasn't - at least not totally - and we both knew it. Liam was a werewolf, after all.

"You're not on the list - deadpool - right, Zoe?"

I smiled a little. Still, with me just having informed him that there was a possibility that he might be assassinated in the near future, and he was worried about my safety. "No, I'm not on the list."

"Good, good - well, I'll be careful, okay, Zoe?" I nodded, and he grinned. "I better go. Scrimmage is starting soon."

I grinned back. "I'll be watching." And I went to the bleachers, wishing Scott, Kira, and my brother a good game before sliding in next to Mason, where Violet sat on the other side of him. I wondered if she knew about Garrett. How could she not? "So..." I started. "You think Brett's hot?"

He gave me a look, and we both cracked up.

A couple minutes later, and Liam was at the edge of the field, jumping in place, psyching himself up. Scott was talking to Coach Finstock, but from the distance, I couldn't make out anything they were saying. However, I figured that Scott was trying to get Liam out of the game.

I didn't want Liam to play either, because of the very likely possibility that he was a target, but I also knew that there was no way Liam was bailing. He wanted to show Brett what he was made of.

"Hey, Liam!" called the asshole in question, Brett Talbot. "Think fast!" There was a whooshing sound and Liam caught the ball that was thrown at him.

I grinned. "Go Liam!" Mason joined in on my cheers and Liam shot a waning smile at us. Coach blew the whistle at us and Liam tugged on his helmet. "This isn't going to end well, is it?" I asked Mason, and he shook his head.

"Probably not, Zoe."

Violet smirked at me. "I think it's going to be fun." _Of course you do_, I added mentally. _Your boyfriend's going to kill someone. _It just better not be Liam. Or Scott or Kira or my brother. Though I wouldn't mind if it was Brett...

* * *

Not two minutes into the scrimmage, and Devenford had already scored a point. The three of us booed, and when Liam was tackled by two opposing players, resulting in another score for Devenford, I was hissing threats under my breath. Mason glanced at me in amusement, but I was seething.

This scrimmage was a big deal to Liam. It was his shot at normalcy - clearly one of the only chances he had with now being a werewolf. And the awful boys from Devenford were going to ruin it.

Liam got to his feet angrily, ripping off his helmet and gloves. He charged at the guys who knocked him down. I just prayed he didn't wolf out.

Thankfully, Scott and Stiles yanked him backward just in time, but the Devenford players walked off as if nothing had just transgressed. I almost wanted Liam to rip them to bits. But no, that was irrational of me.

My brother faced off with another Devenford kid, and then chucked the ball at Kira, who caught it. I screamed for her to run, along with several other people, and she took off.

"Pass the ball, Kira!" yelled Coach. "Pass it!" But Kira wasn't listening; she weaved around everyone that came her way and slammed the ball into the net.

We all broke into cheers. I stood and clapped. Now we were on the board.

"Yukimura!" Coach Finstock bellowed. Kira jogged over to him, and I could only tell from the way her face crumpled that Coach wasn't giving her praise. She sat down on the bench.

I smiled at Mason and went to sit next to Kira. "Hey," I said.

"Hey," she mumbled back.

Shifting uncomfortably, I didn't take my eyes off the field. "Well, that was a great score," I complimented. Kira just sighed.

Liam and Brett were going at each other, and I knew it wasn't going to end well. What I didn't expect, was for both boys to get knocked to the ground, with Garrett in the mix. Liam cried out, and I was on the field in seconds.

"Liam!" Scott and Stiles wrenched him to his feet. Brett was still flat on his back.

"How hard did you hit him?" Scott inquired, and Liam frowned.

"I didn't," he winced, holding his left arm. He revealed a very obvious bone break, and Stiles gagged. I was at a loss for words.

Scott stared at him, and then tossed his gloves to the ground. His gripped Liam's arm. "Close your eyes," he ordered, and then a pause. "Zoe, maybe you should..."

"Already on it," I said, wrapping my arms around Liam's neck. His skin was sticky with sweat. His right arm slid around my waist, and I noticed that it burned hotter than usual. It felt like his touch was searing through my clothes and right down to my bones. I looked at his eyes to see if he felt the same thing, but they were already closed.

Scott popped his bone back into place, and Liam's grip momentarily tightened on me, making me suck in a breath. Brett groaned from behind us and a referee and a cop hauled him to his feet, dragging him away.

Then there was an odd sound, one I could never describe in a million years. But whatever it was, it came from Garrett.

"Are you cut?" Scott asked frantically. "Did Garret cut you?"

Liam shook his head, and I glared at Garrett. "No, no. I'm okay," Liam said, and Garrett smirked. He knew we knew.

"Then he missed."

Liam frowned. "What do you mean?"

I turned back to him, staring solemnly at him. "I told you, Liam. You might be on the deadpool."

Scott nodded. "You're the one he's after," he confirmed.

* * *

Scott, Kira, and I stood huddled together, waiting for Liam to come back. When he did, he sighed. I knew he was disappointed. "I talked to Coach," he said. "I'm out for the rest of the game."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, Liam," I mumbled, leaning into him. Automatically, his hand found my hip and he pulled me closer.

"What are you gonna do?" Kira asked.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know. Something's still not right. We're missing something."

"Well, what could we be missing?" I inquired, and then glanced back at the bleachers. "Hey, Mason's sitting alone," I observed. "Violet's gone..."

Just then, my brother popped up, wielding his phone. "Guys. Lydia just broke another third of the list," Stiles said, and I snatched the device out of his hands, ignoring his protests. "Hey, rude..."

"Am I on it?" Liam asked immediately.

I frowned, humming. "No." I scrolled through the names, and stopped when I recognized one, nearly dropping Stiles's phone. "But someone else is." I stared at the name. I had wished for this, hadn't I? That rather Liam or Scott or Kira killed, it be Brett? I was an awful person.

I willed the name to go away. But it didn't, and it stared back at me tauntingly.

_Brett Talbot 1_

* * *

The police were flooding the boys' locker room not fifteen minutes later. Scott had caught Violet and Brett had been saved. Kira left when we told her about the second part of the deadpool and my brother went with Brett to Deaton and Derek, who could hopefully help him.

I waited on the field with Liam while he ditched his pads and jersey. Now he just wore a black tee. We pushed into the school and past Coach, who was telling everyone they could get their gear at a later date.

"Hey, there's Scott," I whispered, and Liam turned in the direction I was pointing. He was talking to Agent McCall, and I narrowed my eyes. I still hadn't forgiven him for bailing on Scott and his mom when we were kids.

"If anybody sees Garrett, you notify the police immediately," Coach said. That was another thing. Garrett had vanished. No one had seen him leave, but now everyone knew he was an accomplice along with Violet, the latter of which in the process of being apprehended. "Then tell him he's off the damn team."

"Dad, really. I'm okay," Scott said. This was all new to Scott. The dad thing. Mine and Stiles's dad might as well have been a second father to Scott, but he wasn't used to a real dad. One that wanted to be around for your lacrosse games and birthday parties.

Agent McCall shook his head. "I should've been here," he insisted. "And I said I would be at the games."

Liam and I leaned against a wall where we were out of sight and listened to the conversation. While I knew Liam was curious to know more about his Alpha and new friend, I didn't feel right eavesdropping, even if I probably could make a career out of it by now.

"Well, I mean this was just a pre-season scrimmage," Scott said. "I didn't even tell you about it."

"But I promised your mom I'd be around so she could pick up some double shifts at the hospital. I should've been here."

Scott smiled slightly. "You're here now."

Parrish started down the hallway, walking with Violet, her hands behind her back. She didn't look at all sorry, not that I expected her to. Assassin, and all that. But then something struck me, probably the same time as it struck her. I knew, because she looked at Parrish's name tag.

"Jordan Parrish?" she asked, and my eyes widened. Liam must have felt me tense, because he sent me a questioning look. I opened my photos on my phone - I had forwarded Lydia's message from Stiles to myself.

"Deputy Parrish," the man corrected, leading her past us. Neither Liam nor I spared her a glance. She wasn't our friend anymore.

As Dad came into view holding an evidence bag, he drew Liam's curiosity, therefore turning away from me so I could scan the list. Brett hadn't been crossed off yet, and I didn't know anyone else on it other than Kira's mom, Kate Argent, and...

_Jordan Parrish 5_

"Sheriff, what is that? Is that the weapon?" Agent McCall asked, and I looked back at the group. Liam and I were still lurking and I wondered why. After all, I was the sheriff's daughter, and Scott was there, too.

"Yeah," Dad said. "It's a thermo-cut wire." That was the necklace that Violet always wore...

Someone flashed across Agent McCall's face, but I didn't care enough to figure out what it was, as he was walking past Liam and I. "Parrish, hold up," he said, and as Dad followed him, he noticed me. He looked like he was going to say something, but sighed and decided against it.

Liam and I hurried to Scott before he could follow our dads. "Where's Kira?" was the first thing Scott asked.

"Once Stiles told her about Lydia cracking the second part of the deadpool, she left," I said. "Her mom's on it." I definitely felt bad for all my friends, that some of their families were on the list, but I was secretly glad that my family lay untouched.

"Everyone's on it," Liam muttered.

"You're not."

Liam looked rightly stressed. I probably would be as well if I knew I might be killed sooner or later. "Not yet. There's still another third, right?"

I nodded wordlessly. I could only reassure him so much, and the odds seemed to be stacking themselves against us, making it harder and harder to sound believable when telling him they would protect him.

Scott's eyes unfocused, and he glanced over my shoulder, Liam turning to where Dad, Parrish, and Agent McCall were standing with Violet. I could tell that they were listening in to whatever was being said. In other words, I couldn't hear a damn thing.

"They called her an orphan," Liam informed me confusedly. He seemed to still be getting used to his new found powers. "They called her and Garrett The Orphans."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" I asked just as Dad asked for bolt cutters and their locker numbers. Liam shrugged.

Scott grabbed mine and Liam's shoulders. "Come on," he said, his voice deathly quiet. "Let's go see what's in Garrett's locker." Liam and I exchanged looks, silently following behind Scott and promising to keep watch.

While Liam scanned the hallways, I stared at Scott. After busting open Garrett's gym locker, Scott crouched and examined the contents. Liam seemed fidgety and shifted on his feet. I grasped his hand, hoping to provide comfort. He sent me a small smile.

"I think someone's coming," Liam whispered. "Hurry." Scott leaned forward and I could him unzipping something. "You find anything?"

Scott was silent for a moment as he stared at whatever was in the locker. Liam and I waited anxiously, as I could now hear footsteps approaching. I definitely didn't want to be caught at the crime scene; I had had enough of that. "No," Scott said. "Nothing."

* * *

**New Flash: School is awful. Big surprise. I've been really shit at updating, so I'm sorry for that. As soon as I come home from school, I do my homework and then go to bed. I haven't even seen this last week's episode yet. And I have two papers due at the end of next week, and I have math homework every night, so the urge to kill myself with only increase. And to top it all off, I have started a new (and secret!) project that will hopefully be released here soon. Don't expect anything, though, what with the work load I have. **

**Right when I thought I was losing inspiration for this story, it came right back and punched me in the face. How do you all think Liam and Zoe's relationship is progressing? I don't want it to be too fast, so I'm trying to add little hints here and there. Although they are best friends, so it's not exactly odd for either of them to touch each other. Especially now, with Zoe's touch keeping Liam human. So let me know what you think in a review!**

**8.22.2014**


	9. Chapter 9

chapter nine: bad things

* * *

After the whole ordeal at school was over - or, at least, when we could all leave - Liam and I bailed. We went back to his house, collapsing on the bed in his room. He hadn't showered yet, so he still smelled like sweat and was sticky all over, his spicy cologne only barely there.

"What do you want to do, Zoe?" he asked, glancing at me from where he lay. Our legs were a mess of tangles. My right over his left and my left under his right. Our skin stuck together and burned hot.

I shrugged, leaning my head back against the wall that his bed was pushed up against. I had been mostly thinking about the way Scott had acted back at the school. I trusted Scott. I did, with all my heart. But as much as he wanted to hide things from me, it was very hard to do so. I had known him all my life. I knew his tells.

"We could watch a movie," Liam suggested. I nodded, and he pulled his legs away, our skin unsticking awkwardly. I watched as he crouched in front of his T.V., rifling through the DVDs on one of his shelves. His muscles moved beneath his t-shift as he shifted around and I frowned.

Had my best friend always been so cut? He twisted and held up Saw VI, grinning. I grimaced. "Liam Dunbar, you just want me to be scared out of my mind so I'll cuddle you."

He smirked. "And if I do?" Liam stood, pushing in the DVD and slowly making his way to me. That God-forsaken smirk was still hanging on his lips as he tossed himself onto the bed - mostly onto me. I squealed, pushing him off and laughing.

As the opening began, Liam and I moved into much more comfortable positions. He sat up, his back against the wall and his legs hanging off the edge. I curled into his side, my head on his chest and my arms around his shoulders as his snaked around my waist, heating me up and pulling me even closer to him that I already was.

Of course, I couldn't actually look at the screen. Liam found this very amusing, laughing every time someone screamed, because I would screw my eyes shut, my fingers digging into his flesh. I glared up at him, but he just smoothed my hair and smiled.

Definitely, Liam had always been cute. I knew that from the first time I saw him. But he had always just been cute. He had always just been my slightly attractive best friend. Now I was seeing it full force.

I bit my lip, staring at the planes of his face. We had the lights turned off and the curtains drawn, so the only source of light came from the flickering T.V. screen. His mouth was at rest, and his lips puckered slightly. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he glanced down, and smiled again.

Ugh, he was so cute.

"I'm glad you came to Beacon Hills, Liam," I whispered, shifting on his chest so that I rested on his stomach as well. I reached up, my fingers ghosting along his jaw. He let it slacken and one of his hands cupped my cheek.

"So am I," he whispered back. His fingers threaded threw my hair, and I watched his eyes soften. They always softened around me, though I had never really noticed before. And even if I was loathe to admit it, Scott and Derek were right; I made Liam calm.

I'm not entirely sure what passed between us right then, but it was something I had never experienced before. The way he looked at me, the way he always looked at me - the way I probably looked at him - whatever it was, it set my heart on fire.

And I didn't mind one bit.

But as I stared at Liam - my best friend - the boy who put me back together - I realized a few things. The first being that I could never live without him. I never wanted to test that out, either. I needed Liam in my life, and that had to be that.

Number two was that Liam was mostly certainly attractive. He was on a level of hotness that I couldn't even calculate. Maybe it was the Bite. That had happened to Erica as well. But no...Liam had always been a babe.

The third thing was that something sparked in my chest. I couldn't put a finger on it, and I didn't want to, not really. It would ruin everything. And if it didn't...? But I couldn't give it that chance. My friendship with Liam meant everything to me and I wouldn't even let myself destroy it.

* * *

_"Have fun on your run. See you at school!"_

I sent this message to Liam as I climbed into Stiles's Jeep. Morning lacrosse practice had been momentarily suspended, due to the locker room being a crime scene, though my brother and I still got to school as the ass crack of dawn.

Liam, however, had recently decided that he was going to have a run every morning before school. I totally would have gone with him, had I not loved every amount of sleep I got. In other words, Mason agreed to go with him.

"I'm not going to be at school today, Zoe," Stiles said, twisting the wheel. I frowned, noticing that we had veered into Lydia's neighborhood.

"Why not?" I inquired as we pulled into Lydia's driveway. Stiles honked his horn and Lydia came fluttering out. "And why are we picking up Lydia?" She hopped into the backseat and greeted me.

"We're stopping by the station to talk to Parrish," my brother said.

Lydia's brows rose. "You haven't told her yet?" she questioned.

"Told me what?"

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "We're going to try to talk Parrish into taking us to Eichen House." I reeled back in my seat and my brother sighed again, as if he expected such a reaction. I opened my mouth to ask why he would ever consider going back to that horrid place when Lydia beat me to it.

"We need to talk to Meredith," she said, and I nodded in realization. Meredith Walker was the only other banshee we knew, and, according to Lydia, she had helped her and Malia crack the second part of the deadpool.

"Do you want to come with us?" Stiles asked. I should have known that this question was coming. I loved my brother, I did, and I wanted to be there for him. It must be hard to some extent to even consider going inside the institution after everything that happened, but I couldn't. I really couldn't. I didn't want to fall apart again.

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. Stiles nodded sadly - but understandingly. Lydia said nothing. We pulled up to the school, and I wished them luck, climbing out of the Jeep and waving when they drove away.

I may not have been the one that had to live inside Eichen House, but I had sat in the backseat of the squad car while we drove my brother there. My brother, who was convinced he was losing his mind. My brother, who really was losing his mind. I couldn't.

So when third period rolled around, and Liam hadn't been in any of our classes, I was beginning to feel frantic. I saw Mason at his locker and jogged up to him.

"Hey," I said, and he smiled at me. "Have you seen Liam today?"

Mason frowned. "Isn't he at school?" I froze. "When we went on our run, he must have gotten a sudden spurt of energy, because he sprinted off. I never caught up to him."

"Oh. Well thanks anyway."

I texted Liam.

_"Where are you?"_

Ten minutes later, there was no response. Fifteen minutes. Twenty. Thirty. A whopping hour passed before I decided to seek out Scott.

"I can't find Liam," was the first thing I said.

Scott nodded, his eyes full of concern. "He hasn't responded to any of my texts."

"Mine either. What do we do?"

* * *

Scott, Mason, and I hung onto Coach Finstock's officer door frame. He gulped down cold medicine and groaned. "Sorry, guys, Liam skipped my class." He sent a withering glance at the half-empty bottle. "Maybe he's sick. Like me."

"Liam didn't look sick on our run," Mason said as we turned away from Coach's office.

"And I was with him last night," I added. "He was fine."

"Well, we'll find him," Scott promised, indicating him and me. Mason nodded, starting down the hallway. "But text me if you see him."

"All right."

I was just beginning to ask Scott what the next step was when my phone started ringing. I frowned at the screen name.

It was Liam.

I pressed the _accept_ button and held the phone to my ear. "Liam?" I asked hopefully, although with a sneaking suspicion.

_"Put McCall on,"_ the person commanded. I sneered. It was Garrett.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, my voice hardening. "Where is he? What did you do with Liam?"

There was a patient sigh. _"Put McCall on,"_ he repeated.

"Where is he?" Scott demanded as soon as I handed him the phone, and I wished with all my heart that I could hear the conversation, but alas, I had no enhanced werewolf hearing.

"I'll give you the money," he said. Pause. "Okay." Scott clicked off and handed me my phone. "He wants to meet at the buses during lunch."

I nodded. "Okay. Okay. What does he want?" I blinked back the tears, willing myself not to cry. I needed to keep myself together so we could find Liam. It wouldn't do anyone any good if I started bawling.

"He wants the money. And Violet," Scott said. I frowned.

"Money? What money?"

Scott's eyes closed, and he sighed heavily. "Last night when we were at the school I found a duffel bag of money in Garrett's gym locker."

My mouth fell open. "I knew you were hiding something from me! I knew it!" Then my eyebrows furrowed and my shoulders slumped. "Why'd you lie to us, Scott? And why do you still have the money? It's the assassin money, right?"

Scott was grasping at straws. It was clear he didn't want to tell me. "I'm sorry, okay, Zoe? Just - can we talk about this later?"

I nodded. "Fine. Meet you at the buses."

* * *

Garrett was already waiting between two of the yellow vehicles when Scott and I arrived. I had already texted Stiles about Liam being kidnapped, but he hadn't responded. He had Eichen House to deal with.

"I should have figured you'd come," Garrett said to me, and I scowled, which seemed to only further amuse him.

"Okay, what do you want?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to shove Garrett into one of these buses. Or try and convince Scott to wolf out and tear him to shreds. "Do you want us to go to my dad? He's the sheriff."

Scott took a step forward. "Or I can talk to my father. He's an FBI agent." We were both clearly desperate to get Liam back.

Garrett smiled, something that quickly turned into something meaner. "You think I want you talking to anyone with a badge? I'm not getting help from a werewolf because I want him to talk to someone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Scott asked.

"They are transferring Violet to a federal facility. You are not gonna let that happen." He pointed at Scott and I suddenly noticed how out of this conversation I was.

I frowned. He wanted us to get Violet or we would never see Liam again. This idea was awful. "How?"

Garrett looked at me in disdain. It was a good thing I'd never considered us friends, otherwise I might have felt a little betrayed. "They're going to put her in a car. We're going to follow it. We get ahead of it. You stop it." He directed the last commented at Scott.

"You want me to attack a car?" Scott asked disbelievingly. He leaned towards Garrett and his eyes narrowed. "That's your plan?"

"You're an Alpha," Garrett said. "If you can't stop one little car, then one little Beta is going to die."

My lips curled and I snarled. "Liam isn't going to die."

He grinned at me. "I stabbed your boyfriend with a blade dipped in wolfsbane." I ignored the boyfriend jeer, my sneer faltering - the same thing had been done to Brett - and Stiles told me that some weird stuff had happened at Deaton's. "Once it gets to the heart... Bad things happen."

I felt tears prick my eyes again and I clenched my fists. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to Scott. He put a comforting hand on my shoulder, his touch reminding me how much I wanted to feel _Liam's_.

"First things first," Garrett drawled. "You're not coming with us, Zoe." My eyes blazed and I gritted my teeth.

"The hell I'm not," I hissed.

Scott squeezed my shoulder. "I hate to say it, but I agree with him. I don't think you should go. We'll be trailing behind your dad and my dad, Zoe. You definitely shouldn't be there." Almost as an after thought, he added, "And Stiles would kill me."

I could tell that Scott wouldn't relent on this one. There was no amount of pleading that could get me in on this plan. So I nodded, choking back a sob. I met Scott's eyes. "Then you'd better find Liam," I said.

* * *

**OKAY, WHO ELSE IS EXCITED FOR _THE MAZE RUNNER_? I AM! I'M GOING TO SEE IT ON OPENING WEEKEND! Well so yeah this was chapter nine. I liked writing the first part a lot. Um, I listened to "Like Real People Do" by Hozier for that bit and "Flesh" by Simon Curtis for the rest. Sorry, but when I find my new favorite song, I stick with it for a while. I'm waiting for the perfect time to listen to this one song... I'll talk about it more when we get to it, which I think will be next chapter. Leave me a review telling me what you think!**

**8.25.2014**


	10. Chapter 10

chapter ten: okay

* * *

I was pacing my room for hours before I collapsed on my bed. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes and I stared at the ceiling, letting them fall down my cheeks. No one was home; Stiles was at Eichen House and Dad was driving Violet to a federal facility.

The sun had set a while ago, so there was no light in my room but the moon up above. I fished around my sheets and came up with the jacket that Liam had lent me last week. He hadn't worn it since then, but it still smelled like him. And not that I had werewolf senses and could track him down, but I couldn't help breathing in the spicy cologne that clung to the fabric.

Scott would find Liam. He was a True Alpha. He was my brother's best friend. I had grown up with him. He was reliable. And he was determined. He wouldn't come back without Liam.

My phone lit up, buzzing and flashing a name I had never expected to see. I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

_"Your father's being taken to the hospital as we speak, Zoe,"_ said Chris Argent, and I sucked in a breath. _"He's fine, but he'll probably need to stay overnight."_

"What happened?" I asked frantically, thinking the worst. "Is Scott okay? And Agent McCall?"

Argent sighed. "_Scott's with me at Deaton's. They were ambushed by the Berserkers. Violet was gone when they got there. Garrett's dead. And Agent McCall is being transported to the hospital with your dad."_

I nodded, worrying my lower lip. "Okay. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Argent." He said goodbye, and then at the last second, I called out, "Wait! You haven't heard anything more about Liam, have you?"

_"No. But Scott will contact you if we do."_

This time I let him hang up and since Stiles was at Eichen House with Lydia, and Dad's squad car was who-knows-where, I had to run to the hospital. It wasn't ideal, and I hated it, but it was the only way I had.

I shot my brother a quick text and pushed through the front doors. Melissa McCall was conveniently in the waiting room, as if waiting for me to arrive.

"They're back here, Zoe," she said, and I followed her to a double room where Agent McCall and my dad were staying. They were both unconscious, and dried blood was still stuck to them. I blinked back tears.

"They'll be fine," Mrs. McCall assured me, though I detected some emotion in her voice as her eyes roved from man to man. "We both know your dad's a fighter. And Scott's dad isn't slacking either."

I nodded. I knew they'd be fine. I knew they would pull through. I knew Scott would, too. But Garrett was dead. Violet was gone. Liam was nowhere to be found. Everything was going to shit, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. There was nothing I could do to help.

Mrs. McCall left me soon enough, and I slumped into the chair beside Dad's bed, taking his hand in mine. He didn't squeeze back when I did and I sighed, remembering the last time I had been at the hospital. It hadn't even been that long ago. That was the night Scott bit Liam... Who knew it would all spiral into him getting kidnapped?

The buzzing of my phone stopped any further thoughts and I opened the message. It was from Scott.

_"How's my dad and the sheriff?"_

I smiled slightly. Argent and Deaton probably told him as soon as he came to that they were fine, but Scott still worried.

_"They're sleeping. What's the status on Liam?"_

Scott texted back in seconds.

_"Kate has Violet. I think she knows were he is."_

_"What are you going to do?"_

My leg started shaking and Dad stirred.

_"Argent and I are going after Kate."_

I sighed.

_"Good luck."_

"Zoe?"

I looked up from my phone to see my dad's eyes focusing on me. I attempted a weak smile. Sometimes I wished that we had never had to tell him about everything. But then I remembered that tonight, he had been attacked by the Berserkers. He needed to know.

"Hi, Dad," I said, a tear rolling down my cheek. I swiftly wiped it away and gripped his hand, which had a firmer grip now that he was conscious.

"Where's Scott? Is he okay? Agent McCall? T-They attacked us, Zoe. Violet's gone. They killed that kid that was with Scott." I hummed to stop my slightly frantic father from continuing his string of questions.

I spared a glance at Agent McCall, who was in the bed beside Dad. He was still out of it. "Scott's fine. He's going with Argent to find the things that attacked you. They're called Berserkers, and they're working with Kate Argent."

"Kate - you mean Chris's sister?" I nodded. "I thought she was..."

I shook my head. "No. She's...not."

"Scott thinks that Kate has Violet, who might know where Liam is," I explained, and Dad shook his head, his eyes closing briefly.

"Wait, wait, what? Why would Violet know where Liam is?" he asked. "Liam Dunbar, right? That kid you've been spending all your time with?" I nodded and Dad sighed. "Why didn't you tell me he went missing?"

"Because Scott had a plan," I said. "Or, Garrett convinced Scott to go along with his plan. Garrett wanted Violet, and if we didn't get her back for him, he was never going to tell us where Liam was. And he said that Liam was in trouble...that he was hurt. And if we don't hurry, he's going to die."

Dad nodded, absorbing all of this, and then stopped. "Why would Garrett want Liam to begin with?"

I sighed. It appeared that no one had informed Dad that Scott had bitten Liam. "Well, you see," I started, "the night that Sean Walcott came into the hospital, he took Liam to the roof. Scott bit him to save him."

There was a moment of silence before Dad exhaled. "So that's what Derek was talking about." I raised an eyebrow. "He said that other than the wendigo, that he smelled something else. A boy. And there was blood." Dad paused. "Zoe, you mean that that kid he smelled was Liam?"

I nodded. "Yeah. He's...a werewolf. And he's been kidnapped by Garrett. We think Liam's on the deadpool, Dad."

"But Lydia hasn't gotten the rest of the code, right?"

"Right. There's still one third left." I sighed, my eyes sinking to the floor. "But everyone else is on it, Dad. Everyone. How could the Benefactor know? And if there around more people out there like Garrett and Violet and the Mute, then we'll have an even harder time protecting everyone."

Dad was quiet for a few moments. "It'll be fine, Zoe. We'll...we'll do everything we can. Okay?" I nodded. There wasn't much we could actually do, but that didn't make me feel any better.

"Parrish is on the list, Dad," I said, and his brows raised. "Whatever he is, he's worth five million. Keep an eye on him, will you? I don't want anything to happen to anybody. And Stiles and Scott told me to keep an eye on Liam..."

I trailed off as my phone beeped. It was a message from Scott. I sucked in a breath and Dad stared at me in concern.

_"Violet's dead."_

With those words, my entire world melted away. Garrett's dead and so is Violet. The only two people that knew where Liam was. And they were gone. There was no hope left. Liam was gone now, too.

"Zoe? Zoe, what's the matter? Zoe? Are you okay?" I could hear my dad's voice, but I couldn't make any sense of what he was saying over the ringing in my ears. This was just like when Stiles was dying. I was losing my brother. I was losing my world. And now Liam was dying. I was losing my best friend.

"H-He's gone, Daddy," I wept, cupping a hand over my mouth. "Violet's dead and so is Garrett and now no one will find Liam! He's dying and we don't even know where to look..."

Dad leaned over his bed and wrapped his arms around me. I resisted the urge to shrug him off. The only arms I wanted to feel were Liam's. I wanted him safe and sound and right beside me. I wanted him hugging me back. I wanted him squeezing me to pieces.

"You really care for this boy, don't you?" asked Dad, his voice low. He rubbed circles into my back and I nodded into his shoulder. "Scott will find him." Pause. Then a sigh. "Why'd it have to be a werewolf, Zoe?"

I pulled away slightly. "W-What?" My voice was wobbly and I hated it. Dad met my eyes and he gave me a knowing look. My jaw went slack. "Wait, you think - no, tell me don't - why would you - just because - why does everyone - it's not like that, I swear - really - we're just friends!"

He smiled and I automatically knew he didn't believe me. "Okay, honey," he said. "Just make sure he's a good kid, all right? And isn't his stepfather the head doctor here?"

I nodded, and, as if his ears had burned, Dr. Geyer strode into the room, carrying a clipboard. "Well, Sheriff Stilinski, it looks like you and Agent McCall will be just fine. Nothing more than a few cuts and scrapes, although I would like you to stay overnight - Zoe!"

Dr. Geyer had finally looked up from his clipboard and smiled. I stood and tried not to remember that his stepson might be dead at that moment. That my best friend might be dead. "Hello, Dr. Geyer," I greeted, shaking his hand.

"Well, Zoe, your dad's just fine, but like I said, I'd like him to stay the night, just to be sure. Will you be okay for the night?" he asked. "You can always come over and stay with us. I'm sure Liam would love that..." I flushed and Dad snorted. Literally everyone in the room thought Liam and I were together. Probably even Agent McCall. And he was unconscious!

I nodded and felt my phone buzz again. Glancing at the screen, there were two messages. One from Stiles, one from Scott. I opened my brother's. It came with a photo attachment.

_"Lydia and I are back at the house. She got the last part of the deadpool. Meredith hung herself."_

I gaped, and bit my lip, trying not to be too obvious in front of Dr. Geyer. I clicked on the photo. It was a screenshot of the list. I only saw three names that I recognized, but only one of them had been crossed off.

_Malia Hale 4_  
_Liam Dunbar 3_  
_Meredith Walker 1_

Dr. Geyer started talking to my dad, and I went to Scott's message, hoping for the best, but thinking the worst.

_"I found Liam."_

My eyes widened to saucers and my fingers flew across the keyboard so fast I nearly dropped my phone.

_"Pick me up."_

"Dad," I said, rudely interrupting him and Dr. Geyer, but I was at the point where I didn't care. "Dad, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but Scott, he..." I held up my phone and my eyes flicked to Dr. Geyer. Dad must have gotten the message, or at least guessed, because he nodded.

"It's fine, sweetie. I'm fine," he assured me. I nodded, and told Dr. Geyer that I really needed to leave.

"All right, Zoe, be safe," he said. "But you must come to dinner tomorrow night. I insist. I'm surprised hasn't had you over already. Back home, you were over nearly every day."

I smiled. Dr. Geyer didn't know I already had been to his house. Twice. He and Liam's mom had just never been home. "Definitely. I will be there."  
"Good. How about seven?" I nodded, and my phone buzzed again. It was from Chris Argent, my chauffeur. Which meant that was my cue to get the hell out of the hospital.

"Bye, Dr. Geyer. Bye, Dad." I waved, and dashed out of the room and down the hallway, running into Scott's mom in the waiting room.

"Zoe!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm. "Where's my son? I haven't heard from him all day."

I simpered. "I'm actually meeting up with him right now. I gotta go, Mrs. McCall!" I pulled out of her grasp, waving, and dashing out of the hospital. I flung myself into Argent's truck and he sped off.

* * *

We didn't talk the entire way to the vet's, Argent and I. My leg was bouncing and my eyes were frantic. I just needed to see Liam.

The truck pulled to a stop and I jumped out, racing to the front door and swinging into the building. My shoes squeaked on the tile as I barreled through the waiting room and into the operating room.

Deaton fell into conversation with Argent, and they both drifted out of the room. Scott lifted a hand in a wave and his eyes shifted sideways. I followed them to see Liam sitting on the edge of the work table, shirtless, a thin slice down the middle of his chest.

He was staring down at his hands, and I noticed that he was slightly wet. His tennis shoes were water-logged and dirty. For the moment, I completely forgot that he was on the deadpool. That he was worth three million.

"Liam," I breathed, and he glanced up. His eyes were cloudy, but they brightened, and he smiled gratefully.

"I was wondering where you were, Zoe," he said, standing. I still wasn't sure if this was real. What if I had just dozed off in the chair beside Dad's hospital bed? What if I wanted to see Liam so badly that I was imagining this whole encounter?

I remembered when Stiles was having trouble telling the difference between dreaming and reality, and glanced down at my hands. I smiled. All ten were there. This was real, baby.

Totally forgetting Scott was there, I hurled myself at Liam. His arms wrapped around my body, and I felt the heat radiating off him. Without even thinking, I pressed my lips to his and ran my fingers through his damp hair. He made a sound of surprise, and then exhaled softly through his nose. His hands cupped my face, and I heard Scott choke.

I pulled away from Liam slowly, my eyes opening and finding his. They were wide and his cheeks were pink - probably the same shade as mine. Honestly, I don't know what came over me. Just, seeing Liam again...thinking I never would...but he was fine. He was okay.

His thumb ghosted over my cheek and he smiled. Maybe it wouldn't ruin our friendship. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe we were okay together.

Scott made that noise again and I looked over Liam's shoulder to see him gaping at us, his jaw slack as his eyes darted from me to Liam. I inwardly winced. I knew that as soon as he got a chance, he would tell Stiles. But hopefully it wouldn't be that big of a deal, because everyone already assumed...

"Y-You - I - um, I didn't - uh, I'm just gonna - go..." Scott darted out of the room and I laughed, letting my hand slide down Liam's face. My lips burned - I wondered if his did as well.

"I'm glad you're okay," I whispered, leaning my forehead against his.

He smiled, and his arms squeezed me. I was beginning to think I would never feel his touch again. "Me too, Zoe. Me too."

* * *

**STOP! Go back and reread that part where Liam and Zoe kissed! I don't care if you already did, you have to read it again! But this time, you have to listen to the song "Start of Time" by Gabrielle Aplin. It's the same song that played in Season 3A when Lydia kissed Stiles when he was having a panic attack. So do it! Right now! **

**Anyway. I definitely could not prolong this anymore. It was starting to build up for me, and ten is a good number, right? This was a good chapter for this to happen in, I think. Next chapter's probably going to be the dinner that Zoe finally agreed to go to. Also Stiles's reaction to the kiss... Among maybe other fun things? So tell me what you think! I need to know! Also, I'm sorry if this last part was really cheesy. I was feeling really cheesy and this just seemed like a cheesy moment. Hopefully I can stop being shit and update more. Lastly, thank you for the many reviews! I really really really appreciate them and they keep me going!**

**9.1.2014**


	11. Chapter 11

chapter eleven: not a monster

* * *

Stiles wasn't speaking to me on the drive to school Friday morning. As I predicted, Scott had informed him of what happened the previous night between me and Liam. I loved my brother dearly, but he could be quiet overdramatic when he wanted to be.

"It's not that big of a deal, Stiles," I said, glancing over at him. He was pouting, glaring at the road ahead of us. I feared for Liam's life if they were to come into contact with each other. Or maybe I should fear for my brother's, considering Liam's extracurriculars.

He huffed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "Not that big of a deal?" Stiles repeated. "Why'd it have to be a werewolf?" Wow. He really was Dad's son. "I mean, first Isaac - "

"That was just a crush!" I protested. "Nothing was happening there, and you know it." He rolled his eyes but didn't argue anymore.

"I just want you to happy, Zoe," he said softly. I smiled. Stiles was a good brother, if but a little overprotective. "And careful," he added, shooting me a look. "Very, very, _very_ careful."

I grimaced, turning away. "Please. We're not you and Malia, Stiles." His mouth hung agape and before he could retort, we pulled up to the school and I jumped out of the Jeep. "See you later!" I called, running off before he could catch me. I waved to Scott as he parked his bike and received a confused swing of the hand in return.

As I took the usual walk to my locker, Mason managed to sandwich himself next to me. "So I hear you're dating Liam," he said passively, glancing around for the boy himself.

I laughed, picking out my biology textbook. "Where on earth did you hear that?" I asked, stuffing the book in my backpack.

Mason shrugged, standing up straight from where he had previously been leaning. "Around. You know, news like that travels through the grapevine pretty fast. And anyway, you and Liam have been a hot topic since he got here. Everyone's been wondering whether you two were gonna get together or not."

I slammed my locker shut and shouldered my backpack. "Well maybe the freshmen class needs to find better hobbies that mine and Liam's lives," I mumbled, and Mason grinned. "What are you smiling at? Oh." I followed his eyes to Liam Dunbar, walking down the hall, straight towards us. Towards me. And he was smirking.

"Well, you two kids have fun," Mason said, patting Liam on the back and sending him a supposedly discrete wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I grinned. "And what wouldn't you do, Mason?" I shot at his retreating figure. He held up a thumbs-up and disappeared around the corner. I faced the smirking Liam, and backed up against the lockers when he leaned over me. His arm hovered over my head, and he stepped in closer, his head dipping. "Good morning," I whispered, accepting the kiss.

It was feather-light, and he pulled away so that there was barely an inch between us. "Good morning, Zoe," Liam said, and pressed another soft kiss to my lips. He tasted like spearmint.

Okay. I'll be the first to admit it: the transition between friendship and relationship was weird as hell. Not that I had never thought about kissing Liam - he was mighty fine, after all - but the actuality of it was crazy. I didn't ever anticipate it happening, so it was hard to believe this was reality.

But I had ten fingers, and ten toes - I had checked this morning to be sure - so it was safe.

"Break it up, you two, break it up!" I rolled my eyes at the familiar voice. Stiles strode down the hallway, sending a scowl at Liam, which he raised an amused brow at. "The hallway is no place for your fornication." He hissed the last word, and I snorted.

"Oh, please," I hissed right back. "We're not nearly as bad as other people. And if it bothers you so much, why don't you just avert your eyes, brother dear?"

I could tell he was biting back what he really wanted to say, and I simpered, sticking my tongue out at Scott - who shrugged. I didn't have any hard feelings about him telling Stiles - he would've found out regardless. But it was fun to mess with him.

"Come on, Liam," I said. "Class is starting soon." He nodded and grabbed my hand, pulling me to biology.

* * *

At lunch, I was faced with a monumental decision. Sit with Stiles, or sit with Liam? Mason had to stay in algebra to retake a test, so really, I was the only option for Liam. But as I stood there with my tray, debating, I could feel Stiles's glare burning a hole in my back, so when I saw Liam heading my way, I grabbed his arm and yanked him to my brother's table.

"Hey, you guys," I greeted, sitting across from Stiles, who had Scott and Malia on either side of him, leaving me with Lydia on my left and Liam on my right. I received many hellos in response. Liam and Scott exchanged nods, while Stiles just scowled at him.

The whole arrangement was unintentionally awkward, and I briefly considered dragging Liam with me to a slightly less hostile table, but decided to lean forward on my elbows and smile at my brother. "Have you heard anything about Dad?" I asked, and Stiles bobbed his head.

"He was told to go straight home and rest, but we all know he's at the station right now," Stiles said, and I nodded, grinning. Dad loved his job. He loved helping people.

"Speaking of," I broached, nudging Liam, who smiled at me, "I need you to take me to Liam's tonight, Stiles."

He straightened slightly. "What? Why?"

"Because I've been invited over to dinner."

There was a coo that came from Kira, and a hum that came from Lydia. I shot Kira a look, but she only bit down a smile. Lydia's eyes were focused on the table surface, and I tapped it to get her attention.

"You should wear that floral skirt you have," she said. "The one that goes to your thigh. And the black top."

I nodded, ignoring the boys' confused looks. "The chiffon one?"

"With the cut-off sleeves. And do you have a jean jacket?"

I almost snickered, glancing at Liam. He grinned, clearly thinking what I was thinking. I was still in possession of his jacket. I nodded at Lydia.

After that, the table fell into regular conversation, and when lunch was over, we all went about our normal routine. I went to class with Liam, and then we separated for a few, but then met up at the end of the day in English.

Liam and I took our usual seats next to one another, and I smiled at him when he scooted his desk slightly closer. I'll be the first to admit that we didn't pay attention in class hardly at all. We texted, exchanged smiles, and maybe even passed notes, but we did not do any English.

When the pair of us had to part, Liam kissed me, something I was very not used to. Hugs? Okay. Kissing? Weird. But it was definitely something I could get used to.

I jogged to the Jeep, where Stiles was waiting impatiently. His arms were folded across his chest and he didn't say anything to me upon my arrival. I rolled my eyes, sliding into the passenger seat. He was still upset about Liam. I didn't blame him entirely. I knew he wanted the best for me, that he wanted me to be safe, but apparently, I couldn't crawl out of the supernatural hellhole we lived in.

Not that I really had a choice anymore. Liam, my last resort at normality, was now a werewolf, thanks to Scott. My brother and I were the only humans left in the pack.

"I'll take you to Liam's, but I won't be happy about it," he declared, and I kind of rolled my eyes, smiling just a bit.

"I wouldn't expect anything else, brother."

* * *

That night, I was wearing the exact outfit Lydia and I had planned, including Liam's jean jacket. The cuffs were a little too long, so I had to roll them up, but otherwise, I looked fantastic. I let my hair down, blow-dryed it and put on eyeliner and mascara.

It was a half hour to seven when my phone beeped. Liam's name popped up, along with a picture of him that I had set as the I.D. He was grinning and his eyes were closed. He didn't know that I snapped that photo of him.

_"Can't wait to see you."_

I smiled, biting my lower lip. I had always wanted that cutesy relationship, but being only fifteen, I haven't had many chances. And one of the best parts about being friends with Liam was that I didn't have to pretend around him. He already knew all my secrets.

Slipping on my flats, I fluttered down the stairs, finding Dad crashed on the sofa flipping through the nature programs. Wolves were on the screen, and they were snarling at their prey; a poor deer. I cringed.

"If that kid hurts you, I'm going to do to him what those wolves are doing to that deer," Dad said, not looking up from the screen. My eyes were wide and then he glanced at me, smiling softly. "Have a good time, sweetie. Be back by midnight?"

I nodded. "I might go over to Liam's tomorrow, too, if everything goes well tonight," I mentioned. "Stiles has the PSATs tomorrow, right?" Dad nodded in confirmation, and Stiles whizzed passed me, stopping to groan.

"Ugh, don't even mention school, Zoe," he scolded, and I smiled, rolling my eyes. My brother was a total goof, but he was incredibly clever. "Come on, if I'm driving you to this punk's house then I want to be back as soon as possible. Scott said he wanted me to go over a little later..."

I waved to Dad, following my brother out to the Jeep, which was parked on the curb in front of our house. "You know, Stiles," I said, "I think I might know what Scott wants to talk to you about."

His eyebrows rose and we slid into our seats. "You do?" he inquired, obviously curious. Usually he heard from Scott before I did, but this was under special circumstances.

Stiles pulled away from the curb, spinning the wheel rapidly. "Yeah. You and Lydia were at Eichen House, so he couldn't tell you, but when Garrett had kidnapped Liam, Scott let something about some money slip when we were in the process of trying to find him."

"Money?" my brother questioned, and I nodded. "What do you mean, Zoe?"

I sighed, and directed him through an intersection and several streets. "Remember at the scrimmage when Violet tried to kill Brett Talbot and then Scott? Well, afterward, Liam and I kept watch while he searched Garrett's locker."

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"Scott said he didn't find anything, but he lied. Really, Garrett had some money in his locker. I don't know how much," I explained, "so that's probably something Scott will tell you about. Lemme know, will you? I'm sort of intrigued."

Stiles's head bobbed, his fingers flexing on the steering wheel. He narrowed his eyes at the house that we pulled up to and I sighed as he examined the place.

It was dark now, so you couldn't see much, other than that the lights were on inside. The only light on on the second floor was Liam's, and I smiled.

"It's too big," Stiles muttered, ducking his head to glare at the curtain by the front window that moved. Probably someone heard us drive up, but were confused by the fact that I haven't _gotten out of the car yet_. "I don't like it."

I huffed, scowling at him. "How long are you going to play overprotective big brother, Stiles?" I asked. "It's getting old."

He stared at his knuckles, whitening with his his tight grip on the wheel. "I just - Zoe, I want you to be safe. Too many things have... Too many things have happened and I need you to be okay. I know we're involved in all this, but being in a relationship with one of them?"

I put a hand on his arm. "Stiles, you're dating a were-coyote. And I will be safe. As safe as one can be when we have to fight the supernatural." I smiled and Stiles nodded, still not assured. "We run with wolves, Stiles. I've picked up a few survival skills. I'll be okay. Liam's my best friend. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Promise."

"This kid better be the best to you," he said. "Because if he's not..." I gave him a look. We both knew that Liam could take my brother. "I will get Scott to kick his ass."

I grinned. "Okay. Good luck on your test tomorrow." I slid out of the car after hearing Stiles groan. "Remember - text me about the thing with Scott."

He nodded, and before I could get to the front door - it was three minutes before seven - Stiles rolled down his window and called out to me. "Hey - have you told Liam about - about, you know - the deadpool? His name..."

I suddenly froze. I had forgotten all about the deadpool, and that Liam was worth three million dollars. And that Derek's name broke that part of the list. It was as if my veins turned to ice; I forgot to breathe. I was going to have to tell my best friend - boyfriend? - that soon, probably, an assassin would come and try to kill him. What an interesting dinner topic.

Speaking of, Liam's parents didn't even know. They had no clue that Liam was a werewolf, that Scott McCall bit him. That he was no longer a normal - if but slightly angry - teenage boy.

"I'll - I'll tell him," I choked out to my brother, and he sent me a thumbs-up, wishing me good luck and backing out of the driveway.

I let out a breath, smoothing out my skirt and knocking on the front door with the brass knocker. Seconds later, the door flung open to reveal a smiling Dr. Geyer. He was wearing a striped dress shirt, and he pulled me into the house, greeting me as we went.

"It's good to see you, Zoe," he said, and then called up the stairs for Liam. Dr. Geyer didn't loosen his hold on me, however. He dragged me into the dining room - a room that, in the old house, had rarely been used. Usually both Liam's parents were out at night, and if Liam and I were eating together, we sat on the sofa or the breakfast bar.

There was a dark-haired woman setting out plates and the corners of her lips pulled up at the sight of me. She had Tiffany Blue eyes and a winning smile, just like her son. "Zoe!" she cried, pulling me into a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

I laughed, grinning at Diana Geyer. She was a very sweet woman, and had liked me from the start. I didn't see her as often as I'd like because she was a very high-in-demand lawyer and worked crazy hours, just like Dr. Geyer.

"Where on earth is that son of mine?" mumbled Mrs. Geyer, peering out of the room. "He should be here to see how beautiful you are." I glanced away, blushing. Liam's mom had a habit of complimenting me in regards with her son. She's always done it, as long as I've known her. Like she wanted us to get together all along.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Liam skidded into the room, wafting spearmint and spicy cologne my way. "Sorry I'm late, I was..." He shot me a nervous smile. "Getting ready?"

I smirked. "Liam Dunbar, you live here. You have no excuses for being late." I took a step closer. "But I'll let it slide just this once."

Mr. and Mrs. Geyer exchanged looks and we were immediately directed to our seats, Liam and I right next to each other while his mom and stepdad took up the heads of the table.

The spread that night was divine. There was pot roast with potatoes and carrots, green beans, bread that was to die for, and for dessert, a peach cobbler. By the end of the meal, I was dead full. And, surprisingly, the dinner conversation hadn't been at all awkward, other than the part where they asked Liam and I "what we were."

I glanced at Liam and he glanced at me. We both raised our brows. I tried to discretely gesture for him to take the question, to which he stammered - something unbelievably similar to Stiles.

The adults had just chuckled, shaking their hands, giving each other those knowing parent looks, while Liam and I both reddened.

"Well," Mrs. Geyer said, "Why don't you two kids go hang out for a while. I'm sure you don't want to spend anymore time than necessary with us grown-ups." She took me by the hand before I could follow Liam up the staircase. "Zoe, I'm so glad you could come over, and that Liam has you. He hasn't been as bad since you two have become friends, you know."

I nodded, and smiled at the woman as she let me go. Liam pushed open the door to his bedroom and I collapsed on his bed, him right next to me. The last time we had been in this position, we were best friends. Now we might be boyfriend and girlfriend.

As I was thinking this, Liam rolled over, his face hovering above my own. He had himself propped up on his elbows, and he smiled, dipping his head. I met his lips and we moved together like we had always known how.

"Liam," I whispered when we pulled apart for air. His eyes flicked to mine and I noticed them glance back at my lips, watching my mouth as I spoke. "Is this weird for you?" I received a questioning glance and voiced what had been bouncing around in my head since we first kissed. "I mean, we were best friends. And now we're kissing. Is it weird?"

He smirked. If I knew anything, it was that I would never get tired of that. "Not really," he said. "We're still best friends, Zoe. Just with kissing and stuff." Liam wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I slapped his chest, laughing. "But seriously, I like you a lot."

My eyes widened, and Liam's smirk softened into a smile. "You've always been there for me, Zoe. Even when I've...freaked out. And you're still here, even though I've hurt you," his hands felt for mine, and his digits brushed across my healing skin, "And even though I'm a monster now."

I frowned, clasping his careful hands. They were warm, if but slightly sweaty. "Liam, you're not a monster," I told him. "Remember what Scott said to you? You're a werewolf, not a monster."

His eyes searched mine, and I knew that even though he was still trying to control it, he would be able to tell whether or not I was lying. He would hear the blip in my heartbeat. That's what Liam was doing - seeing if I was lying right to his face. But I was done being dishonest with Liam.

"And I would never leave you," I said. "Whether you're an alien, a human, or a werewolf. You're my best friend, Liam. Through time and space and the supernatural."

It was a few seconds before Liam responded. "Thank you, Zoe," he whispered, his head lowering and his lips finding the tender skin of my neck. "I'll never leave you either."

* * *

**Okay, so I know that Zoe still hasn't told Liam about his name being on the deadpool, but it'll happen next chapter, I swear! This one was getting too long, and I knew that that information would spark more discussion and I have to have all the chapters approximately the same length... How was this chapter, though? I honestly don't even remember writing half of it. I'm trying to transition properly from best friends to boyfriend/girlfriend, which, personally, I think would be a little weird. But they're synced up already, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Anywho, don't forget to review, they make my day! Also, I listened to "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes when writing this. **

**You all have **_natalye _**to thank for this chapter! I really didn't want to leave you hanging after the kiss, so here you are. **

**9.1.2014**


	12. Chapter 12

chapter twelve: distracting

* * *

I woke up to my phone buzzing. It was a good morning text from Liam. A tired smile hung from my lips and I rolled over to pick up the device from my beside table. Liam's face grinned up at me and I opened the message.

_"Good morning. Are you still coming over today? :)"_

I glanced at my clock. It read half past eight. I groaned, and then texted Liam back that I would be over in an hour.

"Dad! Dad, get out of the bathroom, I have to go!" Stiles yelled, his voice muffled through my closed door. I glared at the wooden barrier, and then Stiles burst into my room, looking more frantic than usual. "Zoe, I need to use your bathroom," he explained. "I have to be at the school, like, yesterday."

"Fine, Stiles," I relented, and he hurtled past me into the adjoining bathroom. Seconds later I heard the toilet flushing and the water running and Stiles out whizzing out of the room, thanking me. "Good luck on your PSATs," I called at his retreating form, and he flailed his arms to acknowledge what I said.

I listened for the Jeep's engine, and when it was gone, I crawled out of bed, my body aching. As I showered, I thought about the previous night's events. Mostly Liam and I had just laid in his bed, talking. We kissed more and stuff, and I completely forgot to tell Liam about the deadpool.

I groaned thinking about it. I didn't want to tell him. How do you inform someone that an assassin is after them? I mean, we all probably knew that Liam would be on the list sooner or later, but really knowing was different. Really knowing that a professional killer was planning on murdering my best friend - boyfriend - was a blow to the gut. Right when I thought that I could handle the werewolf business that Scott caused, then Liam's placed on a hit list.

Nothing ever went my way.

I dried my hair and then pulled on a pair of skinny jeans. I sifted through my closet before slipping on a knit sweater. It was supposed to be fairly chilly today.

"Zoe!" Dad called from downstairs. I was surprised he was still home. "If you want me to drive you to Liam's, we gotta go now!"

"Okay!" I shouted back. "Be down in a sec!" I laced up my Doc Martens and grabbed my purse before dashing down the stairs. Dad was already outside, sitting in the squad car and tapping the wheel impatiently. I jumped into the passenger seat and he peeled out of the driveway.

I didn't have to give Dad any directions, another thing that surprised me. He already had the route memorized. So as soon as we were parked in Liam's driveway, my dad turned to me, his face serious.

"What is this kid to you, Zoe?" he asked. My eyebrows shot up and my lips parted. Dad already knew about Liam being a werewolf, so what did he mean?

"Um," I began nervously, "I think we've decided that now he's my boyfriend." Dad sighed, leaning back in his seat. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I noticed the curtains in the front room shift. Liam didn't have to spy to know what was going on. He could hear everything.

I put a hand on Dad's arm. I knew how much stress he was under, what with the Eichen House and MRI bills, plus the deadpool information. I even told him to keep an eye on Parrish since no one knew what the hell he was. He was already stressed out enough, he definitely didn't need to worry about me more than he did.

"Dad, Liam's on the list," I said, and he nodded. I figured that Stiles had shown him the most recent development on that, so he already knew that his son's girlfriend was as well.

"Sweetie," Dad said, "I just don't want you to get hurt. And I don't want you to get any more involved than you have to."

I smiled softly. "Daddy, I've been in the deep end of the supernatural tide pool since Scott was bitten. It can't get any worse now." He sort of sighed, like he knows this as well. It's too late for both of us, as awful as that sounds. We're tied to this through Scott and Stiles.

After I bid Dad goodbye - and good luck - I jogged to the front door only to find it already swinging open. Liam is at the threshold, grinning at me. I met him toe to toe and he leaned forward to kiss me.

His lips were warm, although slightly chapped, and I greeted them eagerly. We moved together easily, and I wondered why I hadn't thought of becoming more than friends with Liam sooner. As long as I'd known him - a few months maybe - he has never had a girlfriend. That was mildly surprising, considering how excellent Liam was in the kissing department.

When we pulled apart, I smiled at him, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "The juniors are taking PSATs today, right?" he asked, and we walked into the house. As usual, it is void of people. Just me and Liam.

I nodded. "Right. Everyone's at the school, except for Lydia."

He cocked an eyebrow and we fell onto the sofa. Liam propped his feet up on the coffee table and I sunk into his side as he threw an arm around me. "Why's she not there?"

I shrugged, a niggling voice in the back of my head reminding me to tell Liam about the deadpool. It sounded an awful lot like my brother. "Stiles said something about her taking it freshmen year."

Liam hummed. "She must be pretty smart."

"Infinitely."

There was a moment of silence. The good kind, where each person can still be together, but be alone, in a way. It was comforting, and Liam and I moved closer together. I could feel his heart beating, and I wondered if he had figured out how to focus on mine.

"Liam," I started, and I glanced at his face. His eyes had fluttered closed, and they cracked slightly to look at me. He seemed a bit sleepy. "I meant to tell you yesterday, but I forgot, what with..."

He smiled lazily, and leaned into me. "Was I distracting you, Zoe Stilinski?" he inquired, his breath hitting my lips. I bit one corner of mine and his gaze flicked down to my mouth. Liam seemed to take centuries to move close enough to where our lips were centimeters apart.

I gave a breathy laugh, my eyes focused solely on the way his tongue swept across his lower lip. "As if, Liam Dunbar," I mumbled, closing the gap between us. I could feel the deadpool drifting away, farther and farther the longer Liam and I kissed. I could tell Liam later... Scott was looking out for him anyway...

His hand cupped my cheek, and I angled my head up, giving him better access to my mouth. He gently bit my lower lip and I parted them. I threaded my fingers through his hair and just as I could feel the heat between us merging, I thought of Stiles, telling me off for not informing Liam about the deadpool.

I tried to keep kissing Liam, I did, but the image of my irate and flailing brother was ingrained in my brain, forcing me to pull away. Liam grinned, the pad of his thumb brushing across my swollen lips.

"The deadpool," I said, breathless, the haze clearing my mind. "Lydia got the last piece of the code." His eyes met mine, finally understanding how serious this was. Before, it wasn't as big of a deal, because we could pretend that there were no assassins hunting him down, but now, with his name in bold letters on that list, it was suddenly real.

He pulled back slightly, shifting into the sofa. His hand dropped from my face to hold my hand. I squeezed it comfortingly. "I'm on it, aren't I?"

I nodded, staring down at out intertwined fingers. "You're worth three million," I confirmed, and we shared a few minutes of silence. We both knew what this meant. Someone had already tried to kill Scott. Sean and the rest of the wendigos were dead. So was Demarco and Carrie. They even tried to get Brett - along with Derek. Now they were going to be after Liam, too. And not just some punk like Garrett who only kidnapped him because he wanted his girlfriend back.

This was real.

* * *

It was noon when I got the call from Dad. Liam and I had mostly been goofing off. Kissing sometimes, playing video games, watching television. We had even ordered an early lunch from the nearest taco place. Enchiladas were half off on Saturdays.

I held the phone to my ear, shooting a smile at Liam and shushing him. _"Zoe?"_ My dad sounded concerned. I straightened. _"Your brother - Stiles is at the school, and, um, Zoe, they called the CDC."_

I frowned, gripping the phone tighter. Liam was staring at me, and I knew he was also listening to what was being said. "What does that mean?"

Dad sighed, and I could tell that now was the time that he would be pinching the bridge of his nose. _"It means that they've shut the school down for entry. No one gets in, no one gets out."_

"What?!"

Liam took a few steps closer to me, worry evident in his eyes. He was mouthing something at me, but I couldn't read his lips and I was too distracted to try. "Dad," I attempted, "Stiles isn't still inside, right? You got him out?"

Honestly, I had no idea what any of this meant. Why would the CDC be called to the high school? But if it was serious, and Dad was worried, then that was bad. Everyone was at the school today. Everyone.

_"The kids were starting to get sick, so they called off the PSATs,"_ Dad explained, avoiding my question. I could feel my heart rate rising. Dad had to have gotten Stiles out. And Scott, Malia, and Kira. They were safe. They were fine. Dad was just calling to let me know.

Right?

"You got him out, though, didn't you?" I asked again, my voice thick. I already knew the answer before it left his mouth, but I didn't dare think about it. "Didn't you?"

Dad was suspiciously silent, and, in total honesty, I forgot about Liam. I forgot that I had been spending a nice Saturday off from the supernatural business with my boyfriend. I should have known, however, that something would ruin that. I never got anything nice.

_"They wouldn't let me,"_ Dad said, and my heart gave a painful pang. If Dad hadn't gotten Stiles out, then the others were still in there. Then they might be in trouble.

"Why was the CDC called, Dad?" I inquired, scrubbing a hand across my face.

_"Lydia's mother called them,"_ he said. _"It was enough to worry the CDC and the local health authorities. Listen, Zoe, I've got to go, but I'll let you know if anything else happens, all right?"_

I shook my head, forgetting momentarily that Dad couldn't see me. "No way. No, I'm coming up to the school."

_"Zoe, you know that you can't do anything. We just have to wait for them to take down the quarantine, hope that everything goes okay." _

"I'm coming," I said firmly, and Dad sighed.

_"All right, kiddo. Do I need to send a car for you?"_

I nodded. "Okay."

_ "Parrish will be there in ten." _

The first I did when I hung up was drop my phone. Liam's werewolf reflexes, thankfully, saved it, and he slid it into his own pocket. Even though he's already heard everything, I told him anyway. "The school's under quarantine. Everyone's there."

"You said that Lydia was at the lake house, right?" he asked, and I nodded, my eyes filling with tears. I couldn't help it; I thought of the worst scenarios.

"Yeah. She went there to try to talk to Meredith. She hung herself."

There was silence, and this time, it was not comfortable. It was tense and awkward and I was frozen in place. What Liam said next brought me back, though.

"I'll come with you." It took me a second to understand what he meant, but I quickly realized that he was talking about going to the high school to wait out the quarantine.

I shook my head. "No, Liam, it's fine. I don't mean to get you involved in this." But this is where I made my mistake. This is exactly the conversation I had with Dad earlier, but I was on the other side. In this case, I was my father, attempting to convince myself - Liam - to stay out of the trouble that continually finds us.

And Liam delivered perfectly. He gave me almost the exact same line that I gave Dad. "I'm already involved, Zoe. It can't get any worse." The last part, however, I could have done without. You were never supposed to jinx yourself, especially not in these situations. Especially not since I had said the same thing already. Now we were jinxed twice. Not good.

I relented, knowing that Liam was an even more passionate arguer than I was, and then the doorbell rings. Parrish is at the doorstep, and we scramble after him into the deputy's squad car. And though this was a very serious deal, and that my brother and all his friends may or may not be totally ill, like true hellions, Liam and I got a kick out of sitting in the backseat of a police vehicle.

* * *

**Man, I am a piece of shit. Sorry this is probably really late. This chapter is hideous. I hate it. It's kinda filler-ish, and I'm not happy with it. It was ****_so hard _****to get out. I knew what I wanted to write, but it just wasn't coming. I listened to "Glory and Gore" by Lorde when writing this. So there's that. Tell me what you think in a review; I read them at school and they brighten my day! Okay, so I've finally watched Perishable and Monstrous. I swear, the longer this goes on, the better I'm getting - except for this chapter. I really like the next couple. **

**Oh, oh, update: I probably won't be able to write at all September fourth because I'm going to a fair, and I'll be going there straight from school. ****Can't wait to hear from you all!**

**9.3.2014**


	13. Chapter 13

chapter thirteen: always

* * *

As soon as Parrish's squad car pulled up to the high school, Liam and I scrambled out of it. I gave Parrish a quick thanks before darting past the police tape with the excuse that I was the sheriff's daughter. Several people in yellow suits had just spilled out of the front doors in an obvious panic. Dad and Agent McCall were already surrounding them. I yanked Liam alongside me and we met up with the group.

"Careful, Doctor. Slowly," one of the men soothed as a woman stripped herself of the yellow plastic. There was a singed hole in the material and Liam and I exchanged looks.

"What happened in there?" asked Dad, and I stood on my toes, eager for a look inside the school. There was a line of students, that of which was quickly disbanding at the sudden urgency of the CDC members. I thought I caught a glimpse of Kira, but I could have been mistaken...

The woman shook her head. "I don't know, must have been static electricity." I smiled a little. Definitely Kira.

"Any breach of the interior layer, Doctor?"

"It's okay, it just broke the top layer."

There was a sheen of sweat coating Agent McCall's face, and I chanced getting closer to the front entrance as he demanded to know what was going on inside. If I had seen Kira, then maybe I could let them know that I was here. That I could help.

Liam's hand slipped into mine and jerked me back just as one of the yellow suits made a grab for me. "Excuse me, miss," he said, his voice mechanic, "you can't go in there. It's quarantined."

I knew that the man was just doing his job. I knew that he was trying to help. But none of these things stopped me from glaring at him with all my might. "My brother's in there!" I spat. Though if Dad had had no success in getting into the building, and he was the sheriff, then I doubt I'd have any luck.

The woman who'd been burnt by Kira snorted. "Your son and his son and apparently her brother. Great." She gave another withering look to Dad. "Sheriff, what are these kids even doing here?"

Dad sighed, rubbing his face. "That's my daughter and her boyfriend." I didn't hear the woman's remark, I was too busy scowling.

As soon as the woman left, Agent McCall placed his hands on his hips. "I heard smallpox," he said. "Any truth to that?" Dad gave another sigh, and Liam squeezed my hand reassuringly. I smiled at him.

"You want my opinion?" Dad inquired. "I don't think the Orphans were the only professional killers in Beacon Hills."

I nodded. "Dad's right. There's no way this is coincidence, what with the dead - " I stopped in cold blood. Agent McCall didn't know about the deadpool, did he? Oh my god, did he know anything? It was suddenly very difficult keeping track of who knew what and who I could tell.

If anyone other than Liam noticed my slip up, they didn't say anything. He gave me a look and then pulled me away from the two men. After finding a secluded place in the grass, we sat there for the rest of the day.

The school grounds had never been so busy. It seemed like everyone in town was there, swarming. I figured a good lot of their kids were inside. And to think, this is all because of the deadpool. What if someone died? What if not just someone on the list, but someone normal? Someone human? I knew that Scott wouldn't forgive himself. Indirectly, he would think it was his fault.

Liam gave my hand another squeeze and I smiled. "Everything's going to be all right," he said, and I met his eyes. They were wide with worry. Scott was in there, his Alpha. We were both concerned. But it was sweet that Liam was trying to make me feel better.

"You're right," I agreed. Maybe if we both pretended that it was going to be fine, it would be. Fake it till you make it, right? I suddenly was very fearful for everyone's lives.

* * *

Headlights flashed on, and I squinted, turning away from them. Where was Lydia? I had called her an hour ago, she should be here by now.

"Sheriff!" shouted a familiar voice. "Sheriff!" I could see the strawberry blonde trying to push past the police line-up, and I stood, pulling Liam to his feet as well.

"Whoa, hey! I know this girl, let her in." I jogged to where Dad and Lydia were now convening and gave Lydia a wane smile.

She returned it, but hers fell much quicker. "Thanks for calling me, Zoe," she said. I nodded. To Dad, she added, "My mom's in there. What's happening?"

Dad paused. "We're working on it," he finally said.

I heaved a sigh, running a hand through my loose hair. "They think it's smallpox," I told her, and then shook my head. "But there's no way. It's too convenient. It's something else. Something having to do with the deadpool."

Minutes later, and I noticed the flashing ambulance lights. My stomach dropped and I looked to Liam for reassurance. His eyes were so blue. I suddenly very much wanted to see amber instead. I wanted to see my brother's amber eyes, smiling down at me.

"Lydia," I whispered, and she glanced my way. Her eyes were watery, and I remembered once more that her mother was in there. "Is someone going to die?" Dad was nearby, and I knew he heard me, so he drifted closer.

I didn't want to hear her answer. My gut was already telling me what she would say. I don't even know why I asked. And even though I predicted her response, the words were still chilling.

"Yes."

* * *

I hadn't noticed Agent McCall disappearing. I hadn't noticed the search for a missing yellow suit. But I did notice the shot that rang out from inside the school. My heart stilled and my eyes widened. What if the assassin behind this had to resort to a gun? Had someone been killed? Was someone dead? I mentally counted all the people on the deadpool currently in the school.

Scott.

Kira.

Malia.

That was it, right? My brother may have been in there, but Stiles was not on the list. That didn't stop the worry from seeping into my throat, though.

"Zoe!" I whirled around at my name. Liam's eyes had snapped to the source, that being my father. He was jogging to me, one hand on his belt. Lydia was nowhere to be found. "We can go inside. Everything's been cleared."

I have never been good at running. I was much like my brother in that respect. Physical exercise in general had never agreed with me, but I had never run so fast in my life. I bolted past Dad, forgetting all about Liam, about Lydia, about everything else but Stiles. Where was he?

"Malia!" I yelped, suddenly seeing her up ahead. She was wearing my brother's jacket, but she brushed past me without a word. I couldn't bring myself to care at the moments. My only thoughts were of Stiles.

I dashed past Lydia and her mother hugging. That was one reunion done. I was vaguely aware of someone calling my name, and when I spun around, I was met with Stiles. His face was smeared with red streaks, and the collar of his white shirt had turned crimson, and I frowned.

"What happened to you?" I asked, worry evident in my voice. He looked upset, but I couldn't understand why until I remembered the echoing of the bullet that I had heard. "Who got shot?"

"The test administrator guy," Stiles mumbled. "Simon. He was one of the assassins. He was going to shoot me..."

My eyes bulged. "What?!"

Stiles's head bobbed absently, as if he was focused on something else entirely. "If Scott's dad hadn't been there..." I didn't know where the man was, but I knew that I'd have to thank him. I still hadn't totally forgiven him for bailing on Scott, though.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" I threw myself at Stiles, and his arms wrapped around my slight frame. Above all else, I had been worried for my brother. I had been so scared that whatever this was would kill him. The truth was that I couldn't lose him. Not again. Not after the nogitsune.

"Me too, Zoe." His voice was soft, and his grip on me tightened. There was something else there. He wasn't just relieved. There was something else in his touch. He had been upset. But what about?

* * *

After Dr. Geyer came to pick up Liam, I was glued to Stiles's side, just staring at him. That was blood on his face. That shirt was ruined. Someone had tried to kill him. My brother, someone completely human, someone who was definitely not on the deadpool. I guess I had forgotten that when you run with wolves, you're guilty by association.

"Zoe, quit looking at me," Stiles snapped. "You're creeping me out." He was sitting on the edge of an ambulance, insisted upon by our father, though we had long since dismissed the paramedic checking him.

"Sorry," I said. "It's just... Are you okay?"

He heaved a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. Some of the dried blood flaked off, and my stomach churned. That was someone else's blood. "Yeah, Zoe. I'm fine. Fine." I narrowed my eyes at him, sensing that he wasn't telling the whole truth. Okay, so I knew he wasn't fine. I knew that even though he was alive, even though everyone else that we cared about was alive, that he would never be okay. We had been through too much. But I wanted to know about now.

"Stiles," I whispered, and we locked eyes, amber meeting amber. Mine were stern, and his were exhausted. His entire body sagged, and I took a seat next to him, clasping my hands in my lap.

My brother stared at out the people milling around, parents and students reuniting with loving embraces. It was a heartwarming thing to see, and I smiled softly, watching Lydia and her mother walked off together, Mrs. Martin's arm around Lydia's shoulders.

"Malia knows," Stiles said simply, his voice heavy with something. I frowned, and my brother threaded his fingers through his hair. "She knows that she's a Hale."

"You never told her?" I asked, my eyes wide. He gave me a scathing look and I wilted. "I mean, she deserves to know, Stiles. It's her family, even if Peter is Satan. Is that why she was mad earlier? She seemed mad. I tried to talk to her, but she stormed past me."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. I was going to tell her, just...not now." He sighed again, and I realized that no matter how I tried to comfort him, he was going to be down in the dumps for an indefinite amount of time.

We sat there for a while, my brother and I, watching the flashing lights of police cars. The CDC was still clearing out the quarantine equipment, bringing out tubes and tarps and plastic. I was about to ask Stiles when we could go home when I spotted Scott, and if there was Scott, then there had to be...

"Agent McCall!" Stiles gave me a wide-eyed look, though he made no move to stop me as I jumped off the ambulance and dashed toward the FBI agent. He was still wearing one of the yellow plastic suits, the head of which had been pulled down to expose his own.

"Zoe?" Scott inquired, and I hugged him tightly. He returned it immediately, but he became even more confused as I darted to his dad next.

Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around Agent McCall's midsection. He seemed startled, and I could understand why. None of us had ever been close to Scott's dad. He had been a drunk, and had left so early on that we - at least Stiles and I - hadn't developed a relationship with him other than contempt. But he was Scott's dad. And he was trying.

"Zoe?" Scott and Agent McCall asked in unison. A silly smile crawled to my lips, and I squeezed tighter. When I finally let go, I looked up at Agent McCall to see his brows furrowed as he stared at me.

"Thank you," I said. He didn't say anything, so I went on. "For saving Stiles. He told me that you shot that guy. That he was going to shoot my brother." Scott, apparently not having known this information, turned to look at his dad in what I could only describe as awe. "So thanks."

Agent McCall nodded. "It's my job," he explained, though I could see the corners of his lips turning up. I bid the McCalls goodbye and met back up with Stiles, who was now leaning against his Jeep, his brows raised.

"Can we go now?" I asked, grinning at him. I had never been so glad to see my brother rolls his eyes as he pushed off the Jeep, going around to the driver's side. I slipped into the passenger seat, and as we pulled away from the school, leaving the flashing lights behind, I asked where Dad was.

"He's going to stick around for a while. Help everyone clean things up. Told me just to take you home and not cause any trouble." I laughed, and the smile stuck on my face as we arrived home.

I watched Stiles climb the stairs to the second level, like it was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. He looked downright miserable. I thought about Malia knowing that she was a Hale. She was definitely mad at Stiles for not telling her. I understood that, I did. But I had a hard time feeling super sorry for her when she had said on multiple occasions that she would leave us all for dead if necessary, aside from Stiles. Even me, and I was his sister.

Minutes passed, and I heard the shower turn on. I sighed, taking the stairs two at a time and flopping on my bed without bothering to flick on the lights. I reached for my phone, the sound up louder than usual just in case. I had two missed calls from Liam and three texts. I opened the first one.

_"Everything okay?"_

Second.

_"My stepdad said Derek Hale was at the hospital tonight. He carried in an unconscious woman."_

Third.

_"Zoe, are you okay?"_

I smiled. I was glad that Liam had gone to the school with me. Even if we hadn't talked much, it was reassuring in itself that he was there. His presence soothed me. It occurred to me right then that maybe I wasn't just the thing that kept Liam human, but that he was the thing that kept me grounded. Kept me sane.

I texted him back that I was fine, that everything was fine. And to thank him for being with me all day.

_"It's no big deal. I want to be there for you always."_

I stifled my grin, unsure of how to reply. When my fingers hovered over the keys, my bedroom door swung open, revealing Stiles with dripping hair. He was already dressed in flannels pajamas. I hadn't even bothered to change clothes yet.

"We forgot to tell you something," he said, and I frowned, sitting up and setting down my phone.

"Who forgot to tell me what?"

Stiles sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Scott and I. When we counted the money, there was something else in the bag." My brows rose and Stiles mentioned for me to follow him. We drifted into his room and I sunk down on the bed while he rummaged for something in his desk. He pulled out a cassette that said 'Play Me' on it.

"And it came with the money that Scott found in Garrett's locker?" My brother nodded wordlessly and popped in the cassette.

A crackling voice spilled out of the speakers, and the words made my eyes go wide and my heart still. _"After entering the IP address, you will be connected through a Darknet portal to an untraceable bank," the faceless man said. "Once logged in, enter your account number to receive wire transfers. The IP address will deactivate with each transfer. You will be assigned a new IP address if you choose to continue down the list. Remember, visual confirmation is always required for payment."_

When the voice stopped speaking, I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Wow," I exhaled. "That was creepy."

Stiles's head bobbed and he scrubbed a hand across his now bloodless face. I wondered briefly what he'd done with the stained shirt. "Tell me about it. And Scott and I have no clue to what to do."

I was getting pretty sick of not knowing what to do. It was making navigating this supernatural hellhole much more difficult than necessary. I wanted a guidebook or something. "So what are you going to do with the money?" I inquired, and watched Stiles pull out the tape and slide it back into its case, stuffing it back in his desk.

"The money?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's five-hundred thousand, right? That's a lot."

"You can say that again," Stiles sighed. "I don't know. Scott wants to tell Derek."

"Well it is his money."

"His and Peter's," Stiles corrected, and I nodded.

"I see. That's why."

He frowned. "That's why what?"

"That's why you don't want to give it back."

Stiles's eyes widened and he leaned forward. "Peter isn't a good person, Zoe. He's a very, very bad guy. And what's he need half a million dollars for?"

"You're saying that someone else deserves it more," I supplied, and Stiles nodded before stilling hesitantly. "Like who, Stiles?"

"Well, maybe us," he said quietly. I was stunned into silence. We definitely needed money, that was the truth. It pained me to walk into the kitchen every morning to see the stacked bills on the table. They were all stamped with scary red ink, and I knew that it hurt Stiles to see them, too. He was the reason Dad had to pay those. But it wasn't just the bills. It was the collectors from Eichen House, the advance from the departments. The credit cards... I hadn't always been around to hear and see everything that was going on, but Stiles dug too deep for his own good. He was torturing himself.

I sighed. "I don't know, Stiles. It's not our money. I want it just as much as the next guy, as much as I'm sure we all want it, but it's not right."

"Why do we always have to do what's right?" he asked, sinking onto his mattress. It sagged under his weight and in unison, we both flopped backward. "I'm tired of fighting the good fight."

"Don't say that," I whispered, turning on to my side to watch him. "Everything's going to be fine. I'll get a job if I need to."

Stiles shook his head. "It wouldn't matter, Zoe. It's not just us. Scott's power's been out for days. His mom's been pulling so many double shifts I bet she can't even see straight. Lydia has to sell the lake house..."

I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be fine. Everything was going to be okay. We would all find a way to get out of the pool of debt we were all drowning in. I wanted to reassure myself, more than anything. We were floundering, though. It would be sooner rather than later that the rug would be pulled out from underneath us. We were falling apart.

* * *

**So okay school is beating me up. I've been reading lots of fanfiction and crying a lot and getting too anxious over assignments. I'm dead tired. The fair was awesome, but my feet are killing me, and I've been given so much homework, it's not even funny. I'm actually having a really hard time keeping my eyes open right now, but I wanted to post this because you all have been so lovely. Thank you so much for the raving reviews! It's good to know that I'm doing something right. Hope you all like this chapter, I quite enjoyed writing Zoe and Stiles together. ****What do you think? Lemme know! (Who is excited for the season finale?)**

**9.6.2014**


	14. Chapter 14

chapter fourteen: no signal

* * *

I stared at the computer screens. There were three of them, all set up right next to each other on a hospital bed. We had confiscated this room in order to do some recon. Our goal was to find the Benefactor. We couldn't send in visual confirmation, but the guy still had to know if the creature on the top of the deadpool was dead. And that creature was Scott.

First things first, I hated this plan. I knew that this was a sort of logical idea and that we could probably definitely maybe pull it off, but I hated it. Scott was one of my very best friends, I had grown up with him, and it was emotionally exhausting seeing him pale and lifeless.

Kira's mom and Mrs. McCall would be out in the parking lot, looking for the Benefactor going through the front door. They would making guesses at best, but with Mrs. McCall's knowledge on the hospital's regulars, I could guarantee that they could provide useful information.

Chris Argent, well, I had no idea where he was. He had set up the surveillance on the rooftop, but I didn't know his current location. Dr. Geyer was attempting to bring Scott back to life, though only Kira could do that.

Speaking of Kira, she, myself, Liam, and Stiles hovered over the laptops, watching people mill about and disappear out of one hallway and reappear in another. I already knew that it was going to be difficult to find the Benefactor, but whether or not we did spot him, we would need to bring Scott to the land of the living in forty-five minutes.

One of the screens fuzzed and Liam elbowed me gently in the ribs. "Is that supposed to look like that?" he asked, attracting Stiles and Kira.

"No. No, it's not," my brother said, his brows furrowing.

"Where is that?"

Stiles sighed. "The roof. Someone's gonna have to check it out." I eyed the _No Signal_ message on the blanked out box. I didn't have a good feeling about this. Then again, when did any of our plans induce good feelings?

"I'll go," Kira said placidly. She started to move around the cot, but Stiles reached out an arm to stop her.

"Whoa, whoa. This might not just be a malfunction," he explained, and I inwardly sighed. Of course it might not be a malfunction. When were we ever that lucky?

Kira smiled. "That's why I'm bringing this." She displayed her katana, then shoving it back in its case.

I grinned. "I'll come, too," I said, and both Liam's and Stiles's hand shot out to grab me. I glared at them, and they scowled at each other before releasing me.

"You're not going, Zoe - " Stiles tried at the same time Liam went, "Zoe, don't you think it would be safer if - "

My brows rose. "I can take care of myself, you know. I may just be a human, but that doesn't mean that I haven't picked up a few things." I leveled my gaze at Stiles, who looked like he was ready to protest and didn't. I smiled. "So it's settled."

Liam's hand slipped into mine and he gave me a tight-lipped smile. He wasn't happy that I was putting myself in danger, but he would have to realize that no matter where I was or what I was doing, as long as I did it with Scott and the Scooby-Doo gang, I would always be in peril.

"Okay," Stiles sighed. I could tell he was agitated. Definitely agitated. And not just because his best friend was practically dead in the morgue, but also because his sister - namely me - was going on a possible suicide mission. It was almost enough to make me decide to wait it out with Stiles. But then I remembered all the times I had been left alone while everyone else was off doing something cool and dangerous. "But take this." He handed me the steel bat he always carried around. I gripped the handle tightly, knowing what it meant for my brother to relinquish it to me. He was definitely worried. "And the three of you are coming right back. Immediately."

We dashed out of the room, slowing our pace as we got further into the hallway, not exactly eager to draw attention to ourselves. Silently, we found the staircase to the roof, and doggedly ran up the steps.

Kira burst through the door first, and Liam and I followed. His hand squeezed mine as one of the electrical boxes exploded with white light. I swore, shielding my eyes, and the other two did the same. It died down suspiciously quickly, and I scanned the area. This was the exact roof that we had found Stiles's bat on. The one I was currently clutching in my free hand.

"Looks like someone did something to it," Liam said quietly. I nodded. This was all too familiar to when Stiles was possessed. But he didn't did anything to the electricity. He was still watching the surveillance footage.

There was an unmistakable growling, guttural, of course, and my eyes widened. Before I even turned around, before Kira whipped out her katana, I knew what it was. My knuckles turned white with my grip on the bat. Liam and I whirled around to see a hulking Berserker making its way toward us.

"I think somebody did..." Kira agreed.

Liam snarled. I quickly let go of his hand, seconds before his nails grew into claws and his eyes transitioned to a brilliant gold. His werewolf fangs were bared, and he charged the Berserker.

One, two slashes. The Berserker caught the third, shoving its clawed hand into Liam's chest and hurling him into the fencing of one of the electrical boxes. Liam's back hit it with a _clang _and he smacked into the ground hard. It took me four seconds flat to get to his side. He wasn't moving, but he wasn't unconscious. He just had to heal.

"Liam," I whispered, my eyes flicking up to see Kira expertly wielding her katana. She wasn't doing much damage. "Liam," I said again, taking one of his hands and placing it over my heart. "Focus, focus, and you'll heal. Find your stability, and heal."

His breathing slowed, and I looked up just in time to see the Berserker throw a punch at our neighborhood kitsune. "Kira!" I jumped to my feet, releasing Liam's hand, and swinging my bat at the giant freaking mass of armor. I was pissed. This thing had killed Garrett, therefore impeding our search for Liam. This thing had fought us off, not letting us past to unknowingly prevent the Hale vault being emptied. This thing was one of the reasons why the deadpool was being enacted.

All these reasons could explain why I was hitting _this thing_ repeatedly with my baseball bat. It did no damage whatsoever, just seemed to further irritate the creature. I had a few seconds to realize what a huge mistake I had just made. Once again, I was human. A mere human, and if werewolves and kitsunes got beat up by Berserkers, what good could I do? My human anger had gotten ahead of me, and had put me in the precarious position of standing right in front of a monstrous Berserker that appeared ready to rip me in two. Another thought that came to mind was that I did not have super healing.

This thinking took place in approximately three seconds, so it really wasn't enough time to have both Kira and Liam come to. My mouth hung open, and my movement stilled as the Berserker raised its arm. Its great, _hulking_ arm, might I add.

I would like to pride myself in that I did not scream. Well, not until the Berserker snapped my left arm in half. I _felt _my bones break. Clean in two, mind you. I stumbled backward, staring at my deformed limb and not noticing the Berserker advance like it wanted to continue its destruction on me. Thankfully, this was the moment that Liam sprang to life, roaring and eyes glowing.

He didn't spare a glance my way. I was glad, because I knew if he did, he would become concerned and try to help me instead of getting rid of the Berserker. Kira stood as well, but she saw me sliding to the ground and cradling my poor broken arm.

I heard screaming, this time not from me. I couldn't feel anything anymore, but I couldn't tear my eyes from the way my arm sagged. I had only broken a bone once before. Stiles and I, like the little idiots we were, were climbing the vines on the front of the McCall house. We were going to Scott's window to surprise him, but that ended with me falling off, fracturing my right arm, and a trip to the emergency room.

Where had Stiles's bat gone? I dropped it, I knew that. Stiles would be pissed I lost his weapon. I groaned, my head throbbing. Stiles could get another baseball bat, for all I cared.

"Liam!" Kira shrieked. "Get Zoe and get out of here!" My phone was buzzing. Who was calling me? My cell was in my left pocket, though, and I couldn't reach it. "Liam!"

I dragged my eyes up, watching Liam jump on top of one of the electrical boxes that had shorted out. He roared, and I was able to muster enough energy to yell his name before he pounced on the Berserker.

My legs were jelly. I couldn't stand. Or maybe I could, and my mind had just tricked me. In any case, I didn't move when the Berserker just vanished. I hadn't seen it leave. Where did it go? None of us concerned ourselves with this issue for very long. Kira barreled through the door. She had to bring Scott to life. Liam, however, rushed to me, his Tiffany Blue eyes back and his claws retracted.

"Zoe, you idiot," he whispered, and I smiled. Liam's hand cupped my cheek, and he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. Before I could sink into the warmth, he pulled away and gave me a stern look. "Your arm's broken," he said.

I nodded. "I need to go to a hospital," I confirmed. Liam helped me stand, and I swayed on the spot once before he scooped me into his arms. My head lolled and rested against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, his even breathing, his overall warmth, the flush of his body.

"Good thing we're already at one," Liam said, and he careful went down the metal staircase that we had climbed up to the roof. The pair of us were on our way to find a doctor that could fix me up when we ran into Noshiko Yukimura, Kira's mom, lying on the tile in a pool of blood with Mrs. McCall right beside her. Dr. Geyer was there as well, wheeling a gurney for Mrs. Yukimura.

Before they could ask questions, Liam raced off to the morgue, where we knew we would find the rest of the pack. They were hovering over a still pale Scott, but had now regained consciousness. I smiled. Kira had made it just in time. Thank God.

At our sudden appearance, all eyes flicked to us. I couldn't even gauge everyone's reaction before Stiles started in on me.

"What happened?!"

And with that, everyone else followed.

"Is your arm _broken_, Zoe?!"

"It was the Berserker on the roof!"

"We need to get her to a doctor."

Liam cleared his throat, and thankfully, everyone quieted. I took this opportunity for myself, as I was unable to do much else other than dangle from Liam's arms. "We came to tell you," I began, swallowing the lump in my throat. I thought about how much blood Mrs. Yukimura had lost. She must have had a run-in with one of the other Berserkers. Another reason to hate them.

"What?" Kira asked.

"Your mother," Liam said, seeing as I couldn't finish. "She's hurt."

* * *

I woke up in a white hospital room. Liam was asleep in the chair next to my bed. His gray jacket was zipper to the neck and his hands were shoved in the pockets. He looked dead uncomfortable. I smiled, moving over in his direction when my arm panged. There was an I.V. in my right arm, and a cast on my left. I stifled a groan. For fuck's sake...

"Zoe?" I looked up at the door. Dr. Geyer was standing there with a clipboard in his hand. He noticed Liam, and smiled. "It's good that you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Dr. Geyer didn't know about us. He didn't know about werewolves, or kitsunes, or banshees. He didn't know about the deadpool. He didn't know that there were Berserkers roaming the hospital, and that I had been useless in preventing its attack on me. He didn't know, so I settled for something easy. "My arm hurts."

He nodded. "I bet. Sorry about that. Liam couldn't tell me what happened to you. Just said to fix you, and fast. I'll admit that I had to get another nurse to put your arm back in place while I tended to Mrs. Yukimura."

"How is she?" I hadn't seen anyone other than Liam since we told the gang that Kira's mom was hurt. I didn't even know where my brother was.

"She's being taken to another hospital in Palo Alto. They can help her more than we can," he said, and then paused. I wondered briefly if Liam was really sleeping. Werewolf hearing made you more sensitive to sounds, right? Shouldn't he have woken up by now? Unless he was faking... "You're friends with Scott McCall, aren't you? You and Liam?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Is something wrong?" Was I supposed to know that Scott was dead? Was I supposed to know that Scott _wasn't_ dead? Dr. Geyer had been the one to try to bring him back to life, he had been the one to call the time of death.

"Well, he was..." Pause. "He was...deceased. But I just saw him not too long ago with Mrs. Yukimura's daughter..."

I pretended to be astounded. "He's alive?" I was only slightly proud to say that my voice sounded completely incredulous. I hated lying. It had been less recreational, and more necessary. And I hated it.

Dr. Geyer nodded. "Indeed. It's a miracle. He went home for the night, but he's returning tomorrow for tests."

I smirked. "Since he was officially dead and all."

The man nodded again, though he didn't smile. It must be disconcerting, someone totally dead just coming back to life. Welcome to my world, where evil aunts and awful uncles return from the dead regularly. Why didn't any good people come back? Where was Allison? And Aiden? And Boyd, and Erica?

"Well, I'd like you to stay the night, Zoe," Dr. Geyer said, "but you're welcome to go home tomorrow. Your father should be here shortly."

"Oh, you called him?" Of course. Dr. Geyer nodded, and went to leave the room, before I halted him. "You haven't seen my brother, have you? Stiles?"

"Yes. He waited in here for a while, but you never gained consciousness. I believe Liam and him exchanged words before he left." I nodded slowly, and this time, let Dr. Geyer leave.

I slumped back into my pillow. "He told me that if I left your side, he'd kill me," Liam said, and I jumped, making the I.V. move painfully. Liam winced. "Sorry."

"Thanks for staying with me," I said quietly, and Liam smiled.

"Always," he confirmed.

I was going to say something else to him, something just as gushy, I'm sure, but my phone buzzed. It was sitting on the nightstand face down, and I remembered that someone had been calling me during the fight with the Berserkers. Liam watched me as I picked it up with my good hand, ignoring the pinching of the I.V.

Dad had been the one to call me. He didn't leave a voice mail, though, so I assumed it was nothing too important. The text, however, was from Scott. I couldn't help the static ball of anxiety that grew in my stomach as I opened the message.

_"I have to tell you something."_

* * *

**_Dun, dun, dun! _Okay, so, I'm awful. I'm struggling, and in all seriousness, I almost totally forgot about this fanfiction. School is chaos, I'm asleep on my feet, and I just watched _Dead Poets Society _and I want to do something! Carpe Diem! Seize the day! I don't know. Sorry about the lack of updates, I'll try to do better. Did you know that I haven't even seen the season finale yet? I don't know what's wrong with me. By the way, thank you for reviewing, and** _natalye_**, you finally got me to post. Thanks a ton. Keep reviewing, you all, and happy belated birthday to** _Anony. J._**!**

**9.17.2014**


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